NACDS announces point-of-care health testing certificate program

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) said on Monday that it is expanding a certificate program designed to offer training for pharmacists to administer point-of-care testing and other health assessments.

“While patients continue to look to their pharmacist as a steward of medication safety and effectiveness, more and more patients are looking to their pharmacists to provide innovative services that further help maintain their health and wellness, including point-of-care testing,” NACDS President and CEO Steven Anderson said. “In light of the evolution of convenient and accessible health care services, this NACDS certificate program demonstrates the education and training of pharmacists, and empowers greater access to services that can help improve patient health.”

The accredited certificate program includes 20 hours of continuing pharmacy education credit for those who complete the course requirements. It involves 12 hours of home study and eight hours of live training about disease states, physical assessments, point-of-care tests, collaborative practice models and business models.

The Community Pharmacy Based Point-of-Care Testing certificate program will begin in April with a multicity tour at colleges and universities.

At every stop of the tour, participants will complete the certificate program on the first day and the “train-the-trainer” program on the second day so that they can learn how to teach the program.

Registration for the nationwide tour certificate program is limited. Those interested can begin the application process at nacds.learnercommunity.com