Education and Training of Today's Clinical Pharmacist

Today's clinical pharmacists have graduated from a doctor of pharmacy professional degree program, completed residency training, and obtained board certification. Their foundational education consists of an extensive didactic and experiential curriculum with a strong focus on pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics. The credit hours devoted to pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics are substantially greater than those of other health care professional degree programs. When combined with the clinical learning acquired through formal, postgraduate residency training, clinical pharmacists are well prepared to address medication therapy problems and serve as essential members of interprofessional health care teams. This commentary details the education and training of clinical pharmacists and how these compare with other members of the health care team and concludes that clinical pharmacists are uniquely positioned to optimize medication outcomes.