> 24 thousand BCPS...does it help you stand out anymore? BCGP instead?

[pharmacist912016]

I have been a hospital pharmacist for 3 years. I wear many hats in my job, half clinical/ rounding, half staffing/ order entry.

I work in a LTAC hospital. We take anyone over 18 but a lot of our pts are elderly.

I wanted to get board certified and thought because I enjoy being a jack of all trades BCPS would be the best decision. However there seems to be SO MANY pharmacists with this certification...does it even help people stand out? If I wanted another job, would employers even consider bcps an asset? or is this certification so commonplace now it doesn't hold as much value as it used to?

Because I see so many elderly ppl I was considering taking the BCGP instead? There are far fewer pharmacists with this certification. Would it be wise to get this to "stand out"? Or is there no sense getting bcgp unless I plan to pursue a career in being a pharmacy consult with a LTC facility?

Any feedback appreciated.

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[confettiflyer]

I don’t think it particularly matters for the institutions looking for jack-of-all-trades.

Put 24,000 into perspective, that’s out of 75,250 hospital pharmacists (source: BLS). That means 2/3 of hospital pharmacists lack the BPS credentials, so you’ll still stand out. But the rest of your CV will trump the credential.

Get BCGP if that’s what you’re going to do a deep dive in.

 

[pharmacist912016]

I don’t think it particularly matters for the institutions looking for jack-of-all-trades.

Put 24,000 into perspective, that’s out of 75,250 hospital pharmacists (source: BLS). That means 2/3 of hospital pharmacists lack the BPS credentials, so you’ll still stand out. But the rest of your CV will trump the credential.

Get BCGP if that’s what you’re going to do a deep dive in.

Hey thanks, I would still like to hear from anyone else's input, but I think this helps me make a decision. When you drill down the numbers, the majority of hospital pharmacists don't have bcps. Just because its the most common of the BPS doesn't mean its common.

And no, when I reflect upon my career goals, I don't intend to dive deep into geriatrics (or really any specialty), so I'll pass on BCGP and study for BCPS.

Very good answer.

 

[konkan]

I have been a hospital pharmacist for 3 years. I wear many hats in my job, half clinical/ rounding, half staffing/ order entry.

I work in a LTAC hospital. We take anyone over 18 but a lot of our pts are elderly.

I wanted to get board certified and thought because I enjoy being a jack of all trades BCPS would be the best decision. However there seems to be SO MANY pharmacists with this certification...does it even help people stand out? If I wanted another job, would employers even consider bcps an asset? or is this certification so commonplace now it doesn't hold as much value as it used to?

Because I see so many elderly ppl I was considering taking the BCGP instead? There are far fewer pharmacists with this certification. Would it be wise to get this to "stand out"? Or is there no sense getting bcgp unless I plan to pursue a career in being a pharmacy consult with a LTC facility?

Any feedback appreciated.

I don't think any of those credentials will make you STAND OUT. Do you really think when employer sees your bcgp, he will be like - wow, this guy/gal has real advantage here because we have 24k of bcps, and only, I dunno, 4-5k of bcgp?
I personally did bcps because there are rumors that in "a few years" only certified pharmacists will be allowed to work on the floor in my hospital/health system. Who knows if that's actually going to happen.
Your actual experience/interview skills/connections are way more important.

 

[TranslationalRPh]

If 24k is so common, why wouldn't you want it? Agree with others regarding it being just one of the many parameters that you will be judged on and certainly not the most important. I don't see the argument against having it unless you are going for a more narrow niche.