By William E. Ellis, MS, RPh, ICE-CCP
Executive Director, Board of Pharmacy Specialties
As we near the end of another year, I have much to be grateful for. Not only does this column wrap up 2024, but it also marks a significant milestone for my career with BPS, as I plan to retire in early January 2025.
The past 14 years have been a true blessing. I am thankful for the numerous outstanding volunteer leaders including the board, specialty council, and committee members who I have had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside. I am also grateful for the dedicated staff who inspire me every day.
People often say to me, “BPS has grown.” While that is a true statement, BPS has grown because of the advancement of the pharmacy profession as a whole. I see the advancement of the profession and growth of BPS as a benefit to patients – which is important, because as Dr. John Gans, former APhA Executive Vice President/CEO, once told me, “we will all be patients one day.” Under my leadership, the total number of active pharmacist certifications grew from approximately 10,000 in 2010 to over 60,000 in 2024.
During this time, nine new specialty certification programs were added, bringing the total from six to 15, further solidifying BPS’s role in supporting the profession’s specialized care capabilities. In 2022, I had the opportunity to work with both Robert Ignoffo and Katherine Knapp on an article published in AJHP examining the growth of BPS. The publication concluded, “Specialization in the pharmacy profession is growing at a rapid pace. As more clinical privileges are approved, the demand for more specialized pharmacists will likely continue to increase.”1
BPS continued to make great growth and progress in 2024. Work began on the Pain Management Pharmacy certification examination, which will be administered for the first time in October 2025. BPS also issued a call for petition in Pharmacy Informatics and conducted job analyses in Pharmacogenomics and Veterinary Pharmacy. Again, the growth in the number of specialty certifications recognized by BPS is truly in response to the growth of the specialized role of the pharmacist. While I am not sure which specialties BPS will approve, the various specialties under evaluation by BPS and the BPS Board of Directors illustrate the evolution of the profession.
Another significant milestone in 2024 was the transition of pharmacotherapy examinations from a windows-based to a continuously available administration format. As the specialty with the largest volume of examinees, this is a monumental transition. When I arrived at BPS 14 years ago, examinations were only offered one day each year: the first Saturday in October. BPS now offers all exams on a continuously-available basis, except for the newest certification programs, Solid Organ Transplantation Pharmacy and Emergency Medicine Pharmacy. To me, this represents a natural growth for a certification that many spend a great deal of time to prepare for.
Another BPS initiative in the long list of things I feel good about this year is the incorporation of the continuing professional development (CPD) component within BPS’s recertification framework. I am proud that BPS recognizes the unique and contemporary ways board-certified pharmacists maintain their competence beyond traditional continuing pharmacy education (CPE).
Usually, I have no problem finding more to say, but I will end with a simple, heartfelt THANK YOU!
- Ignoffo RJ, Knapp K, Ellis W. Board-certified pharmacy specialties: Growth from 2008 to 2020 and projections to 2025. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2022 Nov 22;79(23):2134-2140. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxac243. PMID: 36148562.