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Best clinical pharmacist certifications
The best certifications for a clinical pharmacist are Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS), and Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP).
Clinical pharmacist certifications demonstrate your competency as a clinical pharmacist to employers. However, not all clinical pharmacist certifications provide the same value.
Below is a list of the best clinical pharmacist certifications. Obtaining a clinical pharmacist certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.
15 best certifications for clinical pharmacists
15 best clinical pharmacist certifications
1. Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
PTCB's pharmacy technician certification program enables technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer safe and effective patient care and service. Certification is achieved by meeting specific eligibility requirements and earning a passing score on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE). The PTCB certification program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
2. Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS)
MTM Certification, or Board Certification in Medication Therapy Management, is a voluntary process intended to demonstrate expertise in a specific pharmacy specialty. The National Board of Medication Therapy Management, an independent, not-for-profit, and pharmacist-led organization, was founded to provide pharmacists with a voluntary pathway to earn a board certification credential. It is different and distinct from licensure to practice pharmacy, a function regulated by state government. Being an MTM pharmacist requires more than assessing medications for indication, effectiveness, safety, and adherence issues. It also requires patient counseling that factors in patient’s emotional state, patient’s financial state, and patient’s cultural state. Certified MTM pharmacists, or Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS™), must successfully pass the examination established by the National Board of Medication Therapy Management. The pharmacist will be granted Board Certification by the National Board of Medication Therapy Management upon passing the examination. The Certification is renewable after 5 years if active pharmacist license is maintained and the standards for recertification are met.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? No
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
3. Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP)
The geriatric pharmacist knows that the focus must be on the total patient, looking at all of the diseases and all of the medicines to evaluate appropriateness of drug therapy. The geriatric pharmacist also knows that the elderly are subject to conditions, such as falls, delirium, and cognitive impairment, that are not usually a concern in younger adults. Drug therapy must be evaluated with respect to the potential for medications to cause or worsen these "geriatric syndromes."
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
4. Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE)
The Certification Examination for Diabetes Educators ("Examination") is designed and intended solely for health care professionals who have defined roles as diabetes educators, not for those who may perform some diabetes related functions as part of or in the course of other usual and customary duties.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
5. Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP)
Oncology pharmacy specialists recommend, design, implement, monitor and modify pharmacotherapeutic plans to optimize outcomes in patients with malignant diseases. Those who are granted certification in this specialty may use the designation Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist and the initials BCOP, as long as certification is valid.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
6. Certified Specialty Pharmacist (CSP)
By passing the CSP assessment, pharmacy professionals not only display their aptitude in each specialized task, but also present their expertise in specialty pharmacy with a CSP credential. The CSP credential is a key indicator to employers, manufacturers, patients, payers, other healthcare providers, and the public at large that a professional is an expert in specialty pharmaceuticals. CSP certified professionals are tested using a psychometrically sound examination process, utilizing an exam that has been validated with a role delineation study performed by specialty pharmacy subject matter experts (SMEs) from all Specialty Pharmacy channels.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
7. APhA The Pharmacist and Patient-Centered Diabetes Care Certificate
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) developed The Pharmacist and Patient-Centered Diabetes Care Certificate Training Program, is an educational experience designed to equip pharmacists with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to provide effective, evidence-based diabetes care. The program provides comprehensive instruction in current diabetes concepts and standards of care and incorporates case studies and hands-on skills training focused on the situations most likely to be encountered—as well as the services most needed—in community and ambulatory care practice settings. Participants will gain experience evaluating and adjusting drug therapy regimens for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, counseling patients about lifestyle interventions, analyzing and interpreting self-monitoring of blood glucose results, and assessing the overall health status of patients to identify needed monitoring and interventions.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? No
- Renewal required? No
8. Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP)
Ambulatory care pharmacy practice is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by pharmacists who are accountable for addressing medication needs, developing sustained partnerships with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. This is accomplished through direct patient care and medication management for ambulatory patients, long-term relationships, coordination of care, patient advocacy, wellness and health promotion, triage and referral, and patient education and self management. The ambulatory care pharmacists may work in both an institutional and community-based clinic involved in direct care of a diverse patient population.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
9. Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist (BCNSP)
Nutrition support pharmacy addresses the care of patients who receive specialized nutrition support, including parenteral and enteral nutrition. The nutrition support pharmacist has responsibility for promoting maintenance and/or restoration of optimal nutritional status, designing and modifying treatment according to the needs of the patient. The nutrition support pharmacist has responsibility for direct patient care and often functions as a member of a multidisciplinary nutrition support team. Those who are granted certification in this specialty may use the designation Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist and the initials BCNSP, as long as certification is valid.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
10. Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist (BCNP)
Nuclear Pharmacy seeks to improve and promote the public health through the safe and effective use of radioactive drugs for diagnosis and therapy. A nuclear pharmacist, as a member of the nuclear medicine team, specializes in the procurement, compounding, quality control testing, dispensing, distribution, and monitoring of radiopharmaceuticals. In addition, the nuclear pharmacist provides consultation regarding health and safety issues, as well as the use of non-radioactive drugs and patient care. Those who are granted certification in this specialty may use the designation Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist and the initials BCNP, as long as certification is valid.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
11. Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP)
The BPS Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP) program is a credential for pharmacists who have met the eligibility criteria and who in their unique practices provide pharmaceutical care to the elderly, including wellness, treatment, monitoring and patient safety services. The purpose of the BPS Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP) program is to validate that the pharmacist has the advanced knowledge and experience.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
12. Infectious Disease
To become certified in the subspecialty of infectious disease, physicians must have: been previously certified in internal medicine by ABIM, satisfactorily completed the requisite graduate medical education fellowship training, demonstrated clinical competence in the care of patients, met the licensure and procedural requirements, passed the Certification Exam in Infectious Disease.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
13. Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP)
Psychiatric pharmacy addresses the pharmaceutical care of patients with psychiatric-related illnesses. As a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team, the psychiatric pharmacy specialist is often responsible for optimizing drug treatment and patient care by conducting such activities as monitoring patient response, patient assessment, recognizing drug-induced problems, and recommending appropriate treatment plans. Those who are granted certification in this specialty may use the designation Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist and the initials BCPP, as long as certification is valid.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
14. Certified Professional in Health Informatics (CPHI)
Informatics professionals work in health informatics and information management, building connections between information technology and the people who utilize healthcare data. They make sure information is complete, accurate, relevant, readily available, and ensure the healthcare organization's information is secure and patient privacy is protected.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
15. Family Medicine
A Family Physician is concerned with the total healthcare of the individual and the family and is trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments in patients of all ages. The Family Physician receives a broad range of training that includes adult medicine and care of the aged, the care of children, women's health, maternity care, preventive medicine and behavioral science.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
What is the best certification for a clinical pharmacist?
The best clinical pharmacist certification is Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). The Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) is awarded by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. This certification is great to have as it shows an improvement in your competency to perform your role. You can earn this certification at the beginning of your career, as it often doesn't require a minimum education level and work experience.
Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this clinical pharmacist certification:
- To become a certified Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), you need to pass the exam.
- Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience.
- Renew certification every 2 year.
What are some of the most in-demand certifications for clinical pharmacists?
The most in-demand clinical pharmacist certification is Certified Pharmacy Technician based on all active job postings. Having this clinical pharmacist certification will give you access to more clinical pharmacist jobs with higher salaries.
What certifications can impact a clinical pharmacist career and salary?
The Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists certification will help you to secure a pharmacist position, which will increase your pay and career trajectory. A pharmacist's average salary is $119,686 whereas clinical pharmacists make an average salary of $94,705.
The most common combination of clinical pharmacist certifications include: Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS), and Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP).
Online courses for clinical pharmacists to earn certifications
1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
2. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...
3. Understanding Medications and Therapeutics
Helping you build the best foundation to truly understand medications and develop clinical reasoning skills...
4. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing
Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...
5. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
6. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
7. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)
Empowering Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Comprehensive Online Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs...
8. Medical Terminology 101
For those in healthcare, billing, and more. Boost earning ability and marketable skills by learning to speak medicine...
9. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
10. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...
11. Medical Terminology
Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...
12. A Specialty Approach to Learning Medical Billing and Coding
Volume One: Medical Hematology...
13. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
14. Drug Commercialization
The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Commercialization course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug commercialization. This course will cover pharmacoeconomic, marketing strategy, intellectual property strategy, portfolio management, managed markets and...
15. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.
Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...
16. Certificate Course in Clinical Research (CCCR)
A Clinical Research Course-ICH-GCP E6(R2), Clinical Trials, Essential Documents, Sponsor, Investigator, Pharmaceuticals...
17. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
18. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
19. Medical Coding: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Training
Learn medical coding and prepare yourself for today's healthcare workplace...
20. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...