Accredited vs. Non-Accredited Residency

[PharmerMBA2013]

I am interested in a managed care residency and noticed that there are plenty of non-accredited residencies in addition to accredited ones. Does anyone here have personal experience with a non-accredited managed care residency?

Obviously they do not have to meet certain national standards, but that does not necessarily mean you won't be as prepared by the end. I have spoken with one pharmacist that completed a non-accredited residency. Upon completion, the accredidation status was not a factor for him to find a career in the managed care field. He told me the lack of managed care programs (accredited or not) compensates for accredidation status. Is that still the case?

My last concern is in regards to the matching process. I plan on applying to both accredited and non-accredited programs. I know that only the accredited programs can participate in the match. The logistics between the two types of programs may get complicated. Has anyone experienced this process?

Thanks

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[ttopping]

I personally don't have experience with a non-accredited residency so I'm likely zero help. Here are my 2 cents however: It really depends what you want to do when you're done. Like you stated, a non-accredited program is not bound by the same regulations. This can be a good thing when you look at it. You don't have to deal with a lot of the BS stuff that other programs do. Your program can honestly design the residency to your exact needs. In the end, since you won't need to do a PGY-2, it really doesn't matter if it's accredited (shouldn't at least). All that matters is the learning experience and what you did over that year. If you like how the program is set up, and it's designed to accomplish everything you think you'll need to move on after, the official status of the program shouldn't make a difference. However, it's probably good to look at why they aren't accredited just for your own information.

Those were my thoughts when I was looking at PGY-2 programs. It's harder to get a PGY-2 without an accredited PGY-1, but after that, it's all about the experience in my opinion. Again, I don't have first hand experience so hopefully somebody else can shed light on that. Good luck with the decisions!

 

[PharmerMBA2013]

Thank you for the insight.

I was able to speak with a residency director about the application logistics. The unaccredited sites usually make there offers before the matching process. Therefore, a candidate will not have to decide between forgoing the match and risking the uncertainty of getting the unaccredited site.

 

[rycetrix]

Just thought I would enlighten the SDN Forums:

Eligibility for BCPS:

The minimum requirements for this specialty certification are:

1. Graduation from a pharmacy program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or a program outside the U.S. that qualifies the individual to practice in the jurisdiction.
2. Current, active license to practice pharmacy in the U.S. or another jurisdiction.
3. Completion of three (3) years of practice experience with at least 50% of time spent in pharmacotherapy activities (as defined by the BPS Pharmacotherapy Content Outline)
OR
Completion of a PGY1 residency *.
*Effective January 1, 2013, only residencies accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists(ASHP) or residency programs that are under active consideration for accreditation by ASHP are creditable for this purpose.
4. Achieving a passing score on the Pharmacotherapy Specialty Certification Examination

Source:
http://www.bpsweb.org/specialties/pharmacotherapy.cfm

 

[rycetrix]

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