ACPE gave a clarification to Revolution PharmD regarding PCI to give ACPE Accreditation to Indian Pharm.D students

REVOLUTION PHARM.D EXCLUSIVE :
 Mike Rouse Director, International Services,Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) USA issued a clarification exclusively  to Revolution Pharm.D regarding ACPE accreditation to Indian pharm.d students.He said that the  statements in  press and other media regarding PCI  to give ACPE accreditation to Indian pharm.d students are incorrect. ACPE does not provide such programmes,as was implied in the article.ACPE offers accreditation to providers of Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE),some of which offer such educational activities.
 
Explaining the same to Revolution Pharm.d  he said“For several years, ACPE has been collaborating on an informal basis with the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) on initiatives to advance the quality of pharmacy education in India.ACPE and PCI have not established any formal working relationship and PCI is not authorized to offer ACPE accreditation to PharmD programs in India, as was implied by several statements published earlier this year in various media. ACPE is aware that PCI is enhancing its own quality framework for Pharmacy education in India, and is supportive of this initiative”

“ACPE accredits one PharmD program based outside the USA; the program was accredited in 2002 and it has maintained its accreditation status since that time. Several years ago, the ACPE Board of Directors resolved that it was no longer going to offer accreditation to PharmD programs based outside the United States. That policy is still in place and ACPE does not intend to offer accreditation to pharmacy degree programs that are based outside the United States.

In 2011, ACPE established an International Services Program (ISP). In doing this, ACPE’s primary aim is to assist countries in their efforts to improve the knowledge and skills of their pharmacists and enhance and expand local resources where needed, thereby contributing to improved patient and population health care outcomes in those countries. As will be see from the attached press release, ACPE’s ISP will offer a range of services, including structured evaluation of pharmacy degree programs based outside the United States. If a degree program is in compliance with the quality criteria/standards (which are currently under development), the program can be “recognized” or “certified” by ACPE (the term to be used has not yet been finalized). It is anticipated that the quality criteria/standards will be adopted by ACPE in June 2012, and thereafter ACPE – through its ISP – will be offering recognition/certification to pharmacy degree programs outside the United States. A number of schools of pharmacy in India have already expressed interest in having their degree program(s) recognized/certified by ACPE, but applications for such recognition/certification are not yet being accepted by ACPE. There will be announcements by ACPE to this effect after the quality criteria/standards, policies and procedures, etc., are all in place. We expect this to be in the second half of 2012. To stress again a point made earlier, ACPE will offer this service directly to schools of pharmacy in India; it will not be done through PCI. It is currently envisioned that schools of pharmacy based outside the Unites States will be required to be “accredited” through whatever quality assurance system exists for pharmacy education in their country, in order to be eligible to apply for recognition/certification by ACPE; however, these policy issues still have to be finalized.”