By Corinne Dolan, PharmD, BCPS
Vice Chair, BPS Pain Management Pharmacy Specialty Council
When I reflect on my journey in pain management pharmacy, one guiding principle stands out: “How do you treat pain? You make a diagnosis.” Those words instilled in me early by an attending physician fundamentally shaped the way I practice. It is a deceptively simple phrase, but one that holds the key to high quality, compassionate pain care.
While pharmacists may not commonly diagnose in clinical practice, our training equips us to understand diagnostic information. Pain is not a one-size-fits-all condition. It is a complex clinical problem, and the underlying diagnosis informs everything: the treatment strategy, medication selection, safety considerations, and therapeutic expectations. Without understanding the root cause, we risk chasing symptoms rather than improving outcomes.
As pharmacists, we are trained to think critically. We deeply understand pharmacology and we know how to apply that knowledge within the broader clinical picture. That includes reviewing imaging and lab results, interpreting pathophysiology, assessing comorbidities, and identifying red flags that could impact patient safety. It means recognizing when pain is neuropathic, inflammatory, myofascial, functional, or layered with psychological and social complexities. This level of thinking is what allows us to recommend safe, individualized therapies that truly meet patients where they are.
When I saw that BPS was looking for pharmacists practicing in pain management to serve on the inaugural Board-Certified Pain Management Pharmacist (BCPMP) Specialty Council, I was excited to apply my expertise in pain management pharmacy to the development of a certification program. I saw this as a next step in my career, building upon my firsthand view of how pharmacists’ role in pain management has evolved. I have the privilege of working alongside providers who value the expertise pharmacists bring and who push me to rise to the occasion. I have seen more institutions embrace pharmacists as core members of the pain management team. I have also watched countless colleagues step into this space with knowledge, empathy, and vision, and I truly believe that pain care improves when pharmacists are included as part of interdisciplinary teams.
This is why the development of the BCPMP credential is so meaningful to me. This certification does not simply validate what pain management pharmacists do. It elevates it. It sets a standard that recognizes the complexity of this field and affirms that pharmacists play a vital role. It also provides a framework for building confidence among providers, patients, and health systems that we, as pain management pharmacists, are prepared to meet the needs of an evolving pain management landscape.
Pain management, to me, is not just about a protocol – it’s about people. The BCPMP is a step toward ensuring people receive the care, dignity, and expertise they deserve, and I’m excited and honored to serve on the specialty council for the newest BPS certification program.