Importance of Residency Training for the Provision of Comprehensive Clinical Pharmacy Services

In 2006, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) issued a position statement recommending residency training as a prerequisite for entering direct patient care activities. Additional recommendations in 2013 added residency training as a prerequisite for providing direct patient care. Over the subsequent 12 years, patient-level services by pharmacists expanded, and the frequency of team-based care increased. The Educational Affairs Committee acknowledges these changes in education and clinical pharmacy practice and asserts that postgraduate year one (PGY1) residency training remains a prerequisite to prepare a pharmacist to provide comprehensive clinical pharmacy services. A postgraduate year two (PGY2) residency in specialty care is recommended for the provision of specialty care, recognizing the current system lacks the capacity to provide training for all. The 2025 committee adds the recommendation that completion of residency training is also necessary for the advancement of indirect patient care skills, and all programs should be accredited through standards-based review. When residency training is not available, the committee recommends resident equivalency be achieved through professional development. The complexities of medication management necessitate residency training; therefore, the pharmacy profession needs to actively expand training programs and establish standards for alternative training models.