Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Specialty Certification (BCIDP)
Target Population: Pharmacists who lead and optimize antimicrobial stewardship and the prevention, assessment, treatment, and monitoring of patients who have or are at risk for infectious diseases.
Program Purpose: To validate that the pharmacist has the advanced knowledge and experience to optimize outcomes for patients with infectious diseases, improve public health, and mitigate antimicrobial resistance.
Currently there are more than 2,380 BPS Board-Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.
Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Specialty Council Members
The purpose of the BPS Specialty Councils is to develop standards and eligibility requirements for board certification, develop examinations and passing standards for certification, and review and approve professional development programs for recertification of board-certified pharmacists. Specialty council members are at the heart of the peer-reviewed and peer-developed nature of BPS Board Certification.
Meera Mehta is originally from London, England and is currently an Infectious Diseases Clinical Specialist practicing at WVU Medicine in Morgantown, West Virginia. In 2017, she created the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) program at her institution which services approximately 1700 patients annually. She implemented obtaining quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) metrics for the program in addition to helping to conduct a failure modes and effects analysis on the program to ensure optimization of services. She also plays a role in Complex Oral Antimicrobial Therapy (COpAT), antimicrobial stewardship, and treating infections in persons who inject drugs (PWID). She will also serve as the PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency program director at her practice site starting in 2024. Meera also has her own infectious diseases podcast called “Infectious Conversations” where important infectious diseases topics are discussed with experts on a monthly basis.
Lee is a Health Sciences Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice at the University of California, Irvine School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Lee is a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy and went on to complete a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at UCSF before completing his PGY 2 Infectious Diseases Residency at the University of Southern California and Huntington Memorial Hospital. His primary clinical focus is managing patients at risk for HIV/AIDs and patients with HIV/AIDs in the ambulatory care setting. His research interest includes antimicrobial utilization, resistance, and best practices in the HIV/AIDs population.
Kirthana “Kira” Beaulac is an ID Pharmacist from Concord, MA. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and went on to complete PGY1 residency at Baystate Medical Center and PGY2 in Infectious Diseases at Hartford Hospital. Subsequently, she served as the co-coordinator of the Antimicrobial Management Team at Tufts Medical Center, while serving as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and preceptor for Northeastern University, School of Pharmacy. More recently, she transitioned from an academic medical center to a community hospital setting at Emerson Hospital and then into industry as a Medical Science Liaison, previously at Invivyd and currently at AiCuris/ Veloxis / AKTx. Her research has focused on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Non-Traditional Settings, including long-term care, special populations, and veterinary medicine.
Jeni is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, where she provides clinical services for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and the Infectious Diseases Consultation team. She is the Residency Program Coordinator for the PGY2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency Program. Jeni is also an adjunct professor for Wilkes University School of Pharmacy, St. John Fisher College, Wegmans School of Pharmacy and School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Jeni graduated from Roseman University of Health Sciences in Henderson, NV, completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, NY, and completed a PGY2 at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, NY.
Dr. Casias, PharmD, BCIDP is an Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. After receiving his Doctorate of Pharmacy at the University of Colorado Skaggs School in Pharmacy, he moved to the East Coast to complete his PGY-1 at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital followed by a PGY-2 in Pharmacotherapy at Hunterdon Medical Center in New Jersey. He spent 6 years practicing between NYC and NJ before returning home to his current position. His practice focuses on the management of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections, infections in the immunocompromised hosts, and the care of individuals living with HIV. His professional contributions include prior President of the North Central chapter of the New Jersey Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and serving on multiple committees for the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.
Cosgriff is Oncology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at the VA Portland Health Care System in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy, and earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Duquesne University. Dr. Cosgriff completed an oncology pharmacy specialty residency at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He currently holds adjunct faculty appointments at Oregon State University and Pacific University. He previously served two terms on the Oncology Pharmacy Specialty Council, and served as chair of this council in 2019.
Fiona Doukas has experience in establishing and maintaining Antimicrobial Stewardship programs, medication safety, and developing national clinical care standards. After completing a Bachelor of Pharmacy and a Master of Public Health (Infectious Diseases Epidemiology & Control), Fiona enrolled as a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney. Her thesis evaluates the impact of interventions in hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs. Fiona is currently appointed to the FIP Commission on Antimicrobial Resistance, and the SHPA Infectious Diseases Leadership Committee. Fiona is a Consultant and Fellow of ANZCAP specialising as an Infectious Diseases Pharmacist.
Alice N. Hemenway Pharm.D., MPH, BCPS, BCIDP, FCCP is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy (Rockford Campus) and Clinical Specialist, Infectious Diseases at Mercyhealth Javon Bea Hospital in Rockford, IL. She graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and went on to complete a PGY1 (Pharmacy Practice) and PGY2 (Infectious Diseases) residency at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, IN. Her areas of focus encompass both inpatient and outpatient infectious diseases at her practice site, and she is system lead of antimicrobial stewardship at Mercyhealth. She is an active member of state and national organizations such as ACCP ID PRN, ICHP and SIDP in addition to the Board of Pharmacy Specialties Infectious Diseases Council. Her research interests include exploring the association of health disparities with the incidence and treatment of gram-negative resistant infections.
Amy Kang is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy. She completed her Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY-1) Pharmacy Practice Residency at UCSF Medical Center, followed by her PGY-2 Infectious Diseases Residency at the University of Southern California (USC) and LAC+USC Medical Center.
Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, overseeing stewardship initiatives across four acute care hospitals and more than 20 clinics. She has held numerous leadership positions within local and national pharmacy organizations, where she has been recognized for her dedication to advancing pharmacy practice. Her research interests focus on improving the identification of patients who may respond poorly to standard therapies and enhancing the delivery of antimicrobial treatments for serious infections.
MacDougall is Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy. He provides clinical service to the Infectious Diseases Consult and Antimicrobial Stewardship teams at UCSF Medical Center. His research and reviews have been published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Archives of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, and Pharmacotherapy. He is co-author of Antibiotics Simplified, and chapter author in Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, and Emergency Management of Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Kristy M Shaeer, Pharm.D., MPH, BCIDP, AAHIVP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapeutics and Clinical Research at the University of South Florida (USF) Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP). She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL, and completed a a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a PGY2 HIV/Infectious Diseases Residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
For over thirteen years, Dr. Shaeer has supported a comprehensive antimicrobial stewardship program for hospitalized adult patients as a Clinical Specialist in Infectious Diseases at Tampa General Hospital (TGH). Nearly two years ago, Dr. Shaeer expanded her clinical practice to also include pediatric infectious diseases in the ambulatory care setting. She has thoroughly enjoyed this new site and collaborating with the University of South Florida Pediatric Infectious Disease group to provide guidance on antimicrobial therapy for children and to educate healthcare providers and families.
Dr. Shaeer teaches infectious diseases pharmacotherapy and precepts and oversees longitudinal research project for USF TCOP students. She also is involved in the TGH residency program teaching subgroup and serves as an advisor for PGY1 residents. Dr. Shaeer has been an active member in national organizations such as the ACCP ID PRN, ACCP HIV PRN, SIDP, SHEA, and CLSI. Dr. Shaeer is passionate about infectious diseases and is deeply committed to supporting and advancing antimicrobial stewardship, clinical pharmacy, interprofessional collaboration, and pharmacy education.
Grant Stimes is a Infectious Diseases/Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX. He also has an appointment with Baylor College of Medicine’s Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and serves as Texas Children’s ID PGY2 Residency Program Director. Grant completed his PGY1 training at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and PGY2 training in Infectious Diseases at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center through the UCONN School of Pharmacy.
Eligibility Requirements
An applicant for board certification in Infectious Diseases Pharmacy must demonstrate all of the eligibility requirements listed below. All practice and education eligibility requirements must be met before submitting the application. Once all of the requirements below are met, an applicant will be deemed eligible to sit for the Infectious Diseases Pharmacy specialty certification examination. If an applicant achieves a passing score on the Infectious Diseases Pharmacy specialty certification examination, they may use the designation Board-Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist, or BCIDP.
Refer to the Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Examination Content Outline here for details on eligibility requirements, effective dates, and more.
The rationale for the appropriateness of the requirements for BPS certification programs are based upon the following:
- BPS recognizes individuals who graduate from a recognized school or college of pharmacy within the candidate’s jurisdiction. Those jurisdictions recognize and evaluate programs on the extent to which it accomplishes its stated goals and is consistent with the concept that pharmacy is a unique, personal service profession in the health science field. In the United States, the responsibility for recognizing schools and colleges of pharmacy falls to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
- The rationale for requiring licensure or registration of pharmacists within their jurisdiction is based upon the fact that for public protection, all pharmacists must be licensed or registered. This is considered a baseline requirement to be a pharmacist specialist. In the United States, BPS recognizes the licensure process administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) aims to ensure the public’s health and safety through its pharmacist license transfer and pharmacist competence assessment programs. NABP’s member boards of pharmacy are grouped into eight districts that include all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and all 10 Canadian provinces.
- The experiential component is required to help assure practical application of components of the specialty knowledge being certified. There are multiple pathways to meet the practice experience requirement. The faster eligibility pathways recognize accredited residencies through the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP). The ASHP residency accreditation program identifies and grants public recognition to practice sites having pharmacy residency training programs that have been evaluated and found to meet the qualifications of one of the ASHP’s residency accreditations standards. Thus, accreditation of a pharmacy residency program provides a means of assurance to residency applicants that a program meets certain basic requirements and is, therefore, an acceptable site for postgraduate training in pharmacy practice in organized health care.
- Passing the BPS pharmacy specialty examination helps assure knowledge consistent with the validated content outline for the BPS specialty.
The appropriateness of the BPS program requirements are consistent with the Council on Credentialing in Pharmacy’s Resource Paper titled: Scope of Contemporary Pharmacy Practice: Roles, Responsibilities, and Functions of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians.
Upcoming Deadlines
Individuals who meet the eligibility requirements for the BCIDP examination can find more information about examination dates and fees for certification examinations here.
Candidate's Guide
The Candidate’s Guide is intended for use by pharmacists who are interested in becoming certified as specialists by BPS in any of the BPS-recognized specialty practice areas. To review critical information for BPS Certification Examinations, visit this page.
Content Outline for BCIDP
Refer to the Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Examination Content Outline here for details on eligibility requirements, effective dates, and more.
The examination content outline is a product of a job analysis, also known as a role delineation study, that includes discussions with a panel of 15-20 subject matter experts who represent the specialty area. These experts determine the competencies required for safe and effective pharmacy practice in the specialty area and engage board-certified pharmacists through a validation survey for their endorsement of the identified competencies. The job analysis process is conducted every 5 years to help ensure that the competencies in the examination content outline reflect current pharmacy practice in the specialty area.
- Click here to review the 2024 BCIDP Job Analysis Summary.
Important Resources
Preparing for the BCIDP® Examination
Certification is a significant differentiator, and the rigorous exam process requires concentrated study. Successful candidates are well prepared, and a number of available resources can assist pre-qualified applicants.
Suggested preparation for the examination might include:
- The study of journal articles, textbooks or other publications related to the Content Outline.
- Attendance at continuing education programs and courses in specialized pharmacy practice.
- Participation in study groups and examination preparation courses.
- Reviewing the sample examination items provided in order for candidates to familiarize themselves with the various item formats which are presented on the exam. Sample question performance should not be interpreted as an indicator of exam performance.
To maintain its strict, independent standards for certification, BPS does NOT provide review information, preparatory courses, or study guides. However, such materials are available from outside organizations, state or local professional associations and colleges of pharmacy. Potential applicants may contact the professional associations noted below for additional study resources.
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties provides the following program listing for informational purposes. This list is not an exhaustive list of options available for examination preparation. BPS does not endorse or provide preparatory courses for Board Certification Examinations.
Infectious Diseases Pharmacy
- American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
(913) 492-3311
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
(866) 279-0681
https://www.rxcertifications.org/Infectious-Diseases/Certification-Preparation
- Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP)
(630) 938-4732
https://www.sidp.org/BCIDP
BPS partners with Pearson to provide the examination. BPS does not have any other partnerships for the certification or recertification application process. BPS partners with professional development program (PDP) providers to provide continuing pharmacy education (CPE) for recertification and the relationship is noted here. Any organization claiming a relationship with BPS for the application process or providing CPE labeled ‘BPS-approved’ outside of the organizations listed should be reported to BPS immediately.
Certification for Applicants Outside the U.S.
BPS would like to offer some helpful tips to candidates outside of the United States in order to make their application experience easier. To learn more about applying for board certification as a pharmacist outside of the U.S., visit this page.
Apply for ADA Accommodations
BPS complies with the relevant provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For applicants looking to request special accommodations in their application process, more instructions can be found on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
After review of the BPS Candidates Guide and specialty certification page, some applicants may still have questions. Visit this page to see frequently asked questions from pharmacists pursuing board certification like you!
Sample Examination Items
Sample Items for BCIDP Examinations
The sample examination items for BCIDP examinations are made available by BPS for the purposes of familiarizing certification candidates and other stakeholders with the structure and format of BPS Certification Examinations. This is not meant for use as a self-assessment. Performance on any of these items does not correlate with performance on the actual examination.
The content of these examples is meant to be illustrative of actual examination items, but these items do not appear on the certification examination and are not meant to identify the scope of the examination. For a more comprehensive indication of the scope of the certification examination, please refer to the BCIDP Exam Content Outline.
Examination items are in multiple-choice format. The great majority of examination items are multiple-choice with a single response from among four options. Some examinations may include a small percentage of items that require selection of multiple (three or four) responses from among a larger set of available (up to eight) options. Examinations items may also be supplemented by an image.
View the examination items down below.
A patient with acute myelogenous leukemia who has been receiving voriconazole as prophylaxis for several weeks is found to have new pulmonary nodules during a neutropenic fever work-up. Which fungal organism is the most likely cause of this finding?
ECO Classification: 1A3 Fungal Infections
Correct!
Incorrect!
A patient presents to a clinic with perforated appendicitis. The local antibiogram states that Escherichia coli has a susceptibility of 75% to fluoroquinolones. Which antibiotic regimen is the best recommendation for this patient?
ECO Classification: 2B6 Pharmacotherapy related to Gastrointestinal, Intra-abdominal, and Hepatic Infections
Correct!
Incorrect!
A mother brings her 2-year-old child into the pediatric clinic with pink eye. The child is afebrile with an eye that is red, swollen, and watery. A number of other children in the daycare center are suffering from similar symptoms. What is the appropriate management of conjunctivitis for this child?
ECO Classification: 2B11 Pharmacotherapy related to Other Infections and Complications
Correct!
Incorrect!
An adult patient presented 3 days ago from home with a history of shortness of breath, purulent sputum production, and chills. The patient was started on ampicillin / sulbactam and azithromycin for community-acquired pneumonia. The patient has been afebrile since admission.
Cultures came back as follows:
| Blood cultures | No growth to date |
| Legionella urinary antigen | Negative |
| Streptococcus urinary antigen | Negative |
| Sputum cultures | > 100,000 cfu beta-lactamase-positive Haemophilus influenzae, scant Candida albicans |
The patient is improving, and the medical team plans to discharge the patient this afternoon. Which outpatient regimen is most appropriate?
ECO Classification: 2C7 Interprofessional Care Coordination and Continuity of Care
Correct!
Incorrect!
A 2-month-old patient is post-operative day 3 following cardiovascular surgery and chest tubes remain in place. After reviewing the patient's current medication list, the pharmacist notices that cefazolin is prescribed for surgical prophylaxis. The patient is afebrile, hemodynamically stable, and all cultures previously collected are negative to date. Which is the most appropriate recommendation?
ECO Classification: 2B3 Pharmacotherapy related to Cardiovascular Infections
Correct!
Incorrect!
A study is designed to compare the incidence of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection during the 4-week period after treatment of the initial episode of Clostridioides difficile with either fidaxomicin or oral vancomycin. After completing therapy, 13% of fidaxomicin-treated patients developed recurrent infection versus 24% in patients treated with vancomycin. What is the number of patients needed to be treated with fidaxomicin to prevent one recurrence of Clostridioides difficile?
ECO Classification: 3B2 Literature Evaluation
Correct!
Incorrect!
An infectious diseases pharmacist has discovered an error in which a compounded amphotericin product for continuous bladder irrigation was administered intravenously in the hospital. In addition to the institutional medication error committee, which external voluntary reporting system is best to notify?
ECO Classification: 3A1 Professional Practice Standards and Regulations
Correct!
Incorrect!
An infectious diseases clinical pharmacist is evaluating the newly published hospital's antibiogram, which shows the following results:
% Susceptibility | |||||
| Organism | No. of isolates | Cefepime | Meropenem | Ciprofloxacin | Tigecycline |
| Acinetobacter baumannii | 27 | 65 | 79 | 71 | 84 |
| Citrobacter freundii | 72 | 88 | 98 | 81 | 73 |
| Klebsiella oxytoca | 54 | 76 | 90 | 67 | 82 |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 191 | 77 | 80 | 66 | 0 |
Which listed bacteria should the pharmacist advise against reporting their susceptibility on the hospital's antibiogram?
ECO Classification: 3A5 Antibiogram Design and Development
Correct!
Incorrect!
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Recertification Requirements for BCIDP
Pharmacists who earn the designation Board-Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist (BCIDP) are required to maintain their certification over a seven-year period by completing one of the following recertification pathway:
Option One: Recertification Examination
- For BCIDP with certification beginning January 1, 2023 or earlier: Achieve a passing score on the recertification examination administered by BPS.
- For BCIDP with certification beginning January 1, 2024 or later:Achieve a passing score on the recertification examination administered by BPS and self-report up to 20 units of continuing professional development (CPD). Assessed continuing pharmacy education (CPE) from BPS-approved professional development programs can also satisfy this requirement. For more information on CPD, review the FAQ. To maintain an active certification in good standing, a minimum of two units of assessed CPE from BPS-approved professional development programs or self-reported CPD must be reported each year.
OR
Option Two: Professional Development Program
- For BCIDP with certification beginning January 1, 2023 or earlier: recertification via professional development program requires 100 units of assessed CPE from BPS-approved professional development programs offered by:
- The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in collaboration with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and/or
- The Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP).
- BCIDP may participate in recertification from any BPS-approved BCIDP programs.
- For BCIDP with certification beginning January 1, 2024 or later: recertification via professional development program requires 100 units. Earn at least 80 units of assessed continuing pharmacy education (CPE) from BPS-approved professional development programs and self-report up to 20 units of continuing professional development (CPD) by the end of the 7 year recertification cycle (assessed CPE can also satisfy this requirement).*
- The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in collaboration with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and/or
- The Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP).
- * A minimum of 2 units of CPD or BPS-approved, assessed CPE must be earned annually, regardless of recertification pathway.
- BCIDP may participate in recertification from any BPS-approved BCIDP programs.
Click here to view a simplified comparison infographic to learn more about the differences between the CPE and CPD recertification frameworks.
| Year certified/recertified | New cycle start (begin earning recert units) | Cycle expiration (deadline to meet recert reqs) | Units required (PDP = professional development program) |
| 2019 | 1/1/2020 | 12/31/2026 | 100 units assessed CPE via BPS-approved PDP |
| 2020 | 1/1/2021 | 12/31/2027 | 100 units assessed CPE via BPS-approved PDP |
| 2021 | 1/1/2022 | 12/31/2028 | 100 units assessed CPE via BPS-approved PDP |
| 2022 | 1/1/2023 | 12/31/2029 | 100 units assessed CPE via BPS-approved PDP |
| 2023 | 1/1/2024 | 12/31/2030 | 100 units (80 units assessed CPE via BPS-approved PDP + 20 units CPD) |
| 2024 onward | 1/1/2025 onward | 12/31/2031 onward | 100 units (80 units assessed CPE via BPS-approved PDP + 20 units CPD) |
For full details regarding recertification, please refer to the BPS Recertification Guide.
Board-Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacists® are required to pay the BPS Annual Certification Maintenance fee of $125 each year for years one through six and the $400 recertification fee in year seven. Individuals with more than one BPS certification are assessed one BPS Annual Certification Maintenance Fee each year.
Upcoming Deadlines
Candidates are required to recertify every 7 years. Certificants must submit their recertification application no later than the deadline of August 17. BPS encourages candidates to submit their recertification application as early as January 1 of their recertification year.
Candidates who intend to recertify via examination should note the availability of the recertification examination and related application deadlines. Candidates recertifying their BCIDP® credential by examination can find more information about examination dates and fees here.
Candidates who intend to recertify via continuing pharmacy education (CPE) MUST submit their recertification application by the deadline date of August 17 even if they have not completed their CPE requirements.
The deadline to complete the required CPE for recertification is December 31 for all specialties. The board-certified pharmacist is responsible for submitting an application that is completely and accurately filled out. Incomplete and/or unpaid applications will not be processed.
Recertification Guide
CPE Providers
BCIDP with certification beginning January 1, 2023 or earlier: recertification via professional development program requires 100 units of assessed CPE from BPS-approved professional development programs offered by:
- The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in collaboration with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and/or
- The Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP).
BCIDP may participate in recertification from any BPS-approved BCIDP programs.
BCIDP with certification beginning January 1, 2024 or later: recertification via professional development program requires 100 units. Earn at least 80 units of assessed continuing pharmacy education (CPE) from BPS-approved professional development programs and self-report up to 20 units of continuing professional development (CPD) by the end of the 7 year recertification cycle (assessed CPE can also satisfy this requirement).*
- The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in collaboration with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and/or
- The Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP).
* A minimum of 2 units of CPD or BPS-approved, assessed CPE must be earned annually, regardless of recertification pathway.
BCIDP may participate in recertification from any BPS-approved BCIDP programs.
Content Outline for BCIDP®
Refer to the Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Examination Content Outline here for details on eligibility requirements, effective dates, and more.
The examination content outline is a product of a job analysis, also known as a role delineation study, that includes discussions with a panel of 15-20 subject matter experts who represent the specialty area. These experts determine the competencies required for safe and effective pharmacy practice in the specialty area and engage board-certified pharmacists through a validation survey for their endorsement of the identified competencies. The job analysis process is conducted every 5 years to help ensure that the competencies in the examination content outline reflect current pharmacy practice in the specialty area.
- Click here to review the 2024 BCIDP Job Analysis Summary.
Important Resources
Logging CPD Activities (Video)
Watch a step-by-step video walkthrough of how to report CPD activities in MyBPS once a certificant begins a new certification cycle. For CPD categories and descriptions, see the “How will CPD activities contribute to recertification?” question in the CPD FAQs.
CPD Annual Reflection and Plan (ARP) Sample
Click here to view a sample Annual Reflection and Plan (ARP) to help guide formatting and structure for your CPD annual reflection and learning plan.
CPD Activity Evaluation Sample
Click here to view a sample CPD activity evaluation (scholarly activity) to help guide how evaluations may be documented for CPD credit. This sample is for guidance and is not the only acceptable format.
Frequently Asked Questions
After review of the BPS Recertification Guide, some applicants may still have questions. Visit this page to see frequently asked questions from pharmacists renewing their board certification like you!
Sample Examination Items
Sample Items for BCIDP Examinations
The sample examination items for BCIDP examinations are made available by BPS for the purposes of familiarizing certification candidates and other stakeholders with the structure and format of BPS certification examinations. This is not meant for use as a self-assessment. Performance on any of these items does not correlate with performance on the actual examination.
The content of these examples is meant to be illustrative of actual examination items, but these items do not appear on the certification examination and are not meant to identify the scope of the examination. For a more comprehensive indication of the scope of the recertification examination, please refer to the BCIDP Exam Content Outline.
Examination items are in multiple-choice format. The great majority of examination items are multiple-choice with a single response from among four options. Some examinations may include a small percentage of items that require selection of multiple (three or four) responses from among a larger set of available (up to eight) options. Examinations items may also be supplemented by an image.
View the examination items down below.
A patient with acute myelogenous leukemia who has been receiving voriconazole as prophylaxis for several weeks is found to have new pulmonary nodules during a neutropenic fever work-up. Which fungal organism is the most likely cause of this finding?
ECO Classification: 1A3 Fungal Infections
Correct!
Incorrect!
A patient presents to a clinic with perforated appendicitis. The local antibiogram states that Escherichia coli has a susceptibility of 75% to fluoroquinolones. Which antibiotic regimen is the best recommendation for this patient?
ECO Classification: 2B6 Pharmacotherapy related to Gastrointestinal, Intra-abdominal, and Hepatic Infections
Correct!
Incorrect!
A mother brings her 2-year-old child into the pediatric clinic with pink eye. The child is afebrile with an eye that is red, swollen, and watery. A number of other children in the daycare center are suffering from similar symptoms. What is the appropriate management of conjunctivitis for this child?
ECO Classification: 2B11 Pharmacotherapy related to Other Infections and Complications
Correct!
Incorrect!
An adult patient presented 3 days ago from home with a history of shortness of breath, purulent sputum production, and chills. The patient was started on ampicillin / sulbactam and azithromycin for community-acquired pneumonia. The patient has been afebrile since admission.
Cultures came back as follows:
| Blood cultures | No growth to date |
| Legionella urinary antigen | Negative |
| Streptococcus urinary antigen | Negative |
| Sputum cultures | > 100,000 cfu beta-lactamase-positive Haemophilus influenzae, scant Candida albicans |
The patient is improving, and the medical team plans to discharge the patient this afternoon. Which outpatient regimen is most appropriate?
ECO Classification: 2C7 Interprofessional Care Coordination and Continuity of Care
Correct!
Incorrect!
A 2-month-old patient is post-operative day 3 following cardiovascular surgery and chest tubes remain in place. After reviewing the patient's current medication list, the pharmacist notices that cefazolin is prescribed for surgical prophylaxis. The patient is afebrile, hemodynamically stable, and all cultures previously collected are negative to date. Which is the most appropriate recommendation?
ECO Classification: 2B3 Pharmacotherapy related to Cardiovascular Infections
Correct!
Incorrect!
A study is designed to compare the incidence of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection during the 4-week period after treatment of the initial episode of Clostridioides difficile with either fidaxomicin or oral vancomycin. After completing therapy, 13% of fidaxomicin-treated patients developed recurrent infection versus 24% in patients treated with vancomycin. What is the number of patients needed to be treated with fidaxomicin to prevent one recurrence of Clostridioides difficile?
ECO Classification: 3B2 Literature Evaluation
Correct!
Incorrect!
An infectious diseases pharmacist has discovered an error in which a compounded amphotericin product for continuous bladder irrigation was administered intravenously in the hospital. In addition to the institutional medication error committee, which external voluntary reporting system is best to notify?
ECO Classification: 3A1 Professional Practice Standards and Regulations
Correct!
Incorrect!
An infectious diseases clinical pharmacist is evaluating the newly published hospital's antibiogram, which shows the following results:
% Susceptibility | |||||
| Organism | No. of isolates | Cefepime | Meropenem | Ciprofloxacin | Tigecycline |
| Acinetobacter baumannii | 27 | 65 | 79 | 71 | 84 |
| Citrobacter freundii | 72 | 88 | 98 | 81 | 73 |
| Klebsiella oxytoca | 54 | 76 | 90 | 67 | 82 |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 191 | 77 | 80 | 66 | 0 |
Which listed bacteria should the pharmacist advise against reporting their susceptibility on the hospital's antibiogram?
ECO Classification: 3A5 Antibiogram Design and Development
Correct!
Incorrect!
Share the quiz to show your results !
Subscribe to see your results
I got %%score%% of %%total%% right
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Testimonials
Certification Verification
BPS offers the ability to search and verify a Board-Certified Pharmacist by name or credential number.