The need to develop a clinical competency framework for hospital pharmacist education and training programmes in Irish hospital pharmacy

Introduction

Hospital pharmacists in Ireland have a core competency framework to guide their early career professional development but lack a competency framework to guide their development of clinical skills.

Perspective

A clinical core competency framework is needed to ensure that pharmacists who begin their careers in hospital pharmacy in Ireland are prepared to progress in the rapidly evolving hospital pharmacist role in Ireland.

Implications

A core clinical competency framework would serve as a foundation for hospital pharmacists. Completion of a training and development plan derived from such a framework would ensure pharmacists and pharmacy departments that clinical pharmacists reach a point where they are professionally ready for credentialing as advanced pharmacy practitioners. Pharmacists could achieve these competencies through institutional training, or formal postgraduate education.