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International Accreditation Activities
How Has ACPE recognized Canadian accreditation actions?
What is ACPE’s Memorandum of Understanding with
CCAPP?
What specific activities are going on with accreditation
of non-USA-based programs?
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How Has ACPE recognized Canadian accreditation
actions?
At its June 2002 meeting, the ACPE Board recognized the accreditation
decisions (pdf,
32 KB / word, 1.2 MB) of
the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP),
with respect to professional programs leading
to the baccalaureate degree in pharmacy taken subsequent to the
establishment of CCAPP in 1993 through June 30, 2004. The ACPE
standards
for the baccalaureate in pharmacy (BS) degree programs expired on
June 30, 2004. In line with the decision to adopt the PharmD as the sole accredited professional degree in the US, in June 2004, the ACPE Board resolved not to extend the recognition of the CCAPP accreditation decisions beyond June 30, 2004.
It should be noted that recognition of accreditation actions does not equate to accreditation
of the Canadian degree programs by ACPE, as ACPE did not conduct
program evaluations itself. The decision was taken after assessing
that CCAPP’s policies and procedures were similar to ACPE’s,
and that the CCAPP baccalaureate standards met or exceeded ACPE’s
baccalaureate standards. For details of programs accredited by CCAPP, please visit the CCAPP website or contact CCAPP via telephone at (604) 676-4230 or fax at (604) 676-4231.
The impact of ACPE’s action will differ from state to state,
and this is likely to be determined by the exact wording of legislation
(pharmacy practice act and/or regulations) regarding "foreign
graduates", including Canadian graduates. Several states have
not yet determined what, if any, impact ACPE’s action will
have on licensure requirements for pharmacists in the state. As
the situation regarding this issue is dynamic, ACPE suggests that
up-to-date information be obtained directly from the relevant state
board of pharmacy.
What is ACPE’s Memorandum of Understanding
with CCAPP?
ACPE and its counterpart agency in Canada, the Canadian Council
for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP), have enjoyed a
close
working relationship for many years. To signify their mutual commitment
to further collaboration, in October 2002 ACPE and CCAPP signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (pdf,
180 KB).
What specific activities are going on with
accreditation of non-USA-based programs?
ACPE has received several inquiries from non-US-based universities
and schools of pharmacy. To date, only one of these has resulted
in an application for accreditation, and in June 2002 the PharmD
program of the Lebanese American
University, (LAU) Byblos, Lebanon was accredited by ACPE.
The LAU program was accredited using the same standards, policies
and procedures as are used with US-based programs. ACPE does not
have separate "international standards" and has no plans
at this time to introduce such a set of standards.
With ACPE’s baccalaureate (BS) standards in the process of
being phased out (expired June 2004), ACPE effectively maintains only
one set of standards – those for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
degree. These standards were developed with US systems of health
and education in mind. The outcome
competencies, upon which ACPE standards are based, reflect
the desired level and scope of practice for pharmacists in the
USA,
with pharmacist-delivered patient care as the underlying philosophy of practice.
The standards may, therefore, not "translate" directly
into standards that would be suitable in their entirety in other
countries. While it continues to welcome inquiries from other countries regarding its standards and accreditation activities, ACPE is NOT currently accepting applications for accreditation from programs that are based outside the US.
International Forum for Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education
In its efforts to promote information exchange among organizations and agencies involved in the quality assurance of pharmacy education, ACPE has been very active in an initiative to establish an International Forum for the Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education. To request further information about the Forum and its objectives, please click here.
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Pharmacists
International