ASHP Launches Professional Certificate for Pharmacogenomics

Program Addresses Process for Implementing Pharmacogenomics in Pharmacy Practice

ASHP today announced that it has launched a Pharmacogenomics Certificate to teach pharmacists how to integrate pharmacogenomics into practice to improve medication use. This self-guided, online continuing education program is the ninth offering in ASHP’s Professional Certificate line.

Pharmacogenomics is a rapidly evolving field that evaluates how an individual’s genes affect his or her response to medications. It allows medications to be prescribed to patients based on an individual’s genetic makeup, which results in safer and more effective therapy. As medication experts, pharmacists are uniquely positioned to take a prominent role in incorporating pharmacogenomics into clinical practice.

Available now, the Pharmacogenomics Certificate consists of eight educational modules that address the rationale and process for implementing pharmacogenomics throughout a hospital or health system and applying it at a patient care level. Participants learn how to interpret pharmacogenomics results, recommend appropriate patient-specific pharmacotherapy, and proactively identify the challenges associated with successfully executing pharmacogenomics programs.

The Pharmacogenomics Certificate is designed for pharmacists and offers up to 18.25 hours of ACPE-accredited continuing education credit. To receive the professional certificate, participants must finish all of the modules and successfully complete the final case study analysis to demonstrate skills learned and competence gained through the program.

“Pharmacogenomic testing is quickly becoming a routine component of patient care, and ASHP is proud to take a leadership role in expanding pharmacists’ knowledge of this cutting-edge field,” said ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, Pharm.D., Sc.D. (Hon.), FASHP. “The new ASHP Pharmacogenomics Certificate meets a critical knowledge gap by giving pharmacists the skills needed to spearhead the implementation and clinical application of pharmacogenomics to optimize the safe and effective use of medications.”

ASHP Professional Certificate Programs are self-guided, online continuing education programs for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Each program offers at least 15 hours of continuing education credit that can be earned upon completion of individual modules. Participants must complete all of the modules in a program as well as practice-based exercises to be eligible for an ASHP professional certificate.

For more information about the Pharmacogenomics Certificate Program and other ASHP professional certificate programs, visit www.ashp.org/certificate-programs.

About ASHP
ASHP represents pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in acute and ambulatory settings. The organization’s 45,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. For more than 75 years, ASHP has been at the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists advance healthcare, visit ASHP’s website, www.ashp.org, or its consumer website, www.SafeMedication.com.