REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

to PROVIDE a
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
for the RECERTIFICATION of
BOARD CERTIFIED PSYCHIATRIC PHARMACISTS

ISSUED BY
BOARD OF PHARMACY SPECIALTIES
PSYCHIATRIC PHARMACY SPECIALTY COUNCIL
2215 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037-2985
202-429-7591

November 2014

This document contains the official Request for Proposal (RFP) specifications. This RFP and the contained
specifications supersede any previous documentation you may have received. BPS will issue any writing changes and/or
amendments to this RFP to all potential professional development providers. All information contained within this RFP
is confidential. Distribution is at the discretion of BPS.
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I. INTRODUCTION
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) and its Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Council issue this Request for
Proposal (RFP) to identify professional development programs appropriate for the recertification of Board
Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists (BCPP). Such programs must provide a postgraduate, curricular approach to
instruction in Psychiatric Pharmacy, as well as an assessment of the participants level of contemporary knowledge
and skills consistent with the approved content outline for the Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty. The number of
programs to be approved is limited, and it is expected that no more than one professional development program
(PDP) providers will be approved for this specialty. To have a proposal considered, prospective professional
development program providers must already be accredited providers of continuing pharmacy education
programs by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties is an agency within pharmacy that formally recognizes specialty practice areas
and certifies specialists. For each recognized specialty practice area, a Specialty Council is established. The BPS
Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Council was created in 1992 to develop a psychometrically sound and legally
defensible certification and recertification process for Psychiatric Pharmacists. Additional background information
can be found in Section VI.
BPS believes the purpose of the recertification is to ensure that board certified pharmacists maintain knowledge
and skills required for a specific level of proficiency in the specialty area and potentially to enhance competence for
their current role. Recertification, which is required every 7 years, is a process by which a BCPP demonstrates
maintenance of a defined level of contemporary knowledge and skills in Psychiatric Pharmacy and attests to
current licensure in pharmacy. Assessment of contemporary knowledge and skills will be accomplished through
one of two methods: (1) a multiple-choice objective examination, or (2) a professional development program. This
RFP concerns option 2 only. Contracts for the recertification of BCPP will be awarded for 7 years beginning
January 1, 2016. Another RFP will be issued at year 5 during the contractual term.
The goal of the BPS PDP provider contract will be to provide additional rigor and stability for the recertification of
Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists. New provider proposals will be reviewed and considered only if a
provider is unable to fulfill the terms of the contract or during the regularly scheduled RFP period described above.
Although not required, strong consideration will be given to proposals that include collaboration between
organizations and PDP providers.
BPS expects that PDP providers will work to enhance the value of its recertification program for board certified
pharmacists, including taking actions to increase the programs quality, relevance, and meaningfulness while being
mindful of time, administrative burden, and costs (monetary and other) associated with participation. In addition,
providers are to incorporate components of professionalism and ethics into the programs for recertification. These
are not stand-alone components; they should be incorporated where feasible in some or all program offerings.

II. SCOPE OF PROPOSAL

A. Required Items for the Proposal
RFP responses to serve as a Professional Development Program for the Recertification of Board Certified
Psychiatric Pharmacists must include all of the following items:
1. Title page that includes the RFP subject, name of the organization or lead contractor, address, telephone
and fax numbers, e-mail, contact person or project director, and date of submission.
2. Executive summary chart that highlights key elements of the proposal. (See Appendix A for chart format.)
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3. List of the specific content areas of the program mapped to the specialty content outline and availability
dates for recertification activities over the 7-year period. (Approximate dates for years 3 to 7 are
acceptable.)
4. Detailed description of the method/format for delivery of content.
5. Estimate of the average cost of continuing education per hour per certificant.
6. Description of the quality assurance process and procedures to update content.
7. Names of qualified experts, peer reviewers, project director, professional and nonprofessional staff, and
other volunteers, their pertinent credentials, title, employer, city, and state.
8. Detailed explanation of how assessment will take place and how results will be reported to the participant
and to BPS.
9. Description of the providers qualifications to deliver programming.
B. Criteria for the Professional Development Program
RFP responses to serve as a Professional Development Program for the Recertification of Board Certified
Psychiatric Pharmacists must address all of the following criteria:
1. Content must address all three domains of contemporary Psychiatric Pharmacy practice, in a curricular
approach aligned with the current examination content outline among the programs total list of offerings.
(See Appendix B and the complete current content outline on the BPS website.)
2. Content must be developed by qualified experts in the field. Qualified experts may include any health care
practitioner or researcher; however, 65 percent or greater of qualified experts among the programs total list
of offerings must hold BPS board certification in the applicable specialty area.
3. Content must receive peer review to ensure the pertinence and accuracy for the contemporary practice of
Psychiatric Pharmacy. Seventy-five percent or greater of peer reviewers among the programs total list of
offerings must hold BPS board certification in the applicable specialty area.
4. Content must provide a minimum of 100 hours of continuing pharmacy education over a 7-year period. A
variety of delivery and instructional methods should be implemented for the purpose of meeting the various
learning needs of board certified pharmacists among a programs total list of offerings. Content may be
delivered to the participant through any appropriate means (e.g., live or recorded lectures, print materials,
interactive teleconferences or webinars, CD/DVD, web-based learning methods). Active learning exercises
may also be utilized (e.g., adaptive learning, case-based scenarios, cooperative learning, discussion,
brainstorming, demonstration, role play, simulations, technology-based training).
5. Content must include a brief description of the target audience for each recertification offering beyond the
statement of the audience being board certified pharmacists. The purpose of this request is to better assist
board certified pharmacists in selecting recertification courses and materials that best meet their
professional needs.
6. Continuing pharmacy education units must comply with the criteria established by the Accreditation
Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
7. Assessment for continuing pharmacy education to evaluate knowledge and cognitive problem-solving skills
must be provided as part of the content and should be constructed in a manner that is consistent with a
peer-reviewed, evidence-based, defensible process. (See Appendices C and D).
8. Assessment for continuing pharmacy education must be designed to provide feedback to participants (e.g.,
references, evaluations, constructive criticism, justification/explanation).
9. Assessment expiration date must be established no later than 6 months after the activity or module release
date. An activity or module can be extended beyond 6 months by developing a different assessment.
10. Assessment results and recertification credit for each BCPP (information on the individuals who
successfully complete professional development coursework and activities) must be reported to BPS no
later than 6 weeks following the post-test due date. Assessment results and recertification credit must be
submitted electronically in a format acceptable to BPS. A report in an Excel file with the following fields is
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required:
ID, CredentialNumber, FULL_NAME, City/St, StartDate, Units, Provider, ActivityName.
11. The PDP provider will engage in continual quality monitoring, improve its program for recertification, and
participate in the appropriate BPS Specialty Council annual review process. An annual report must be
submitted electronically in a format acceptable to BPS no later than January 31 each year.
C. Optional Criteria for the Professional Development Program
RFP responses to serve as a Professional Development Program for the Recertification of Board Certified
Psychiatric Pharmacists may address the following optional criteria:
1. Explore opportunities for collaboration with other prospective professional development programs and/or
other organizations in the development of content (e.g., public health, regulatory, statistics) for
recertification of board certified pharmacists across specialties.
2. Explore opportunities to provide one review/recertification course per year allowing board certified
pharmacists to participate in at least two review/recertification courses over one 7-year recertification
cycle.
D. Optional Activities for Professional Development Program Innovation and Pilot Initiatives
PDP providers may incorporate innovative and nontraditional learning activities into proposals as pilot initiatives.
Activities for board certified pharmacists should be efficient and relevant to specialty practice and should
maintain/enhance specialty knowledge. Innovative and nontraditional learning must have a formal assessment
appropriate for the activity.
Offering Credit for Recertification Across Multiple Specialty Areas
PDP providers approved in multiple specialty areas may offer board certified pharmacists recertification
activities for credit from another approved specialty. Content areas that cross multiple specialties must be
defined by new or updated treatment guidelines and/or align with the domains in the content outline for
each specialty area. Credit for recertification across multiple specialty areas is limited to 6 continuing
pharmacy education hours per year. PDP providers must include in any proposal or addendum (1) the
rationale and criteria used to consider topics and content, (2) topic and content alignment with the specialty
area content outline, and (3) topic and content target audience and applicable specialty practice areas.
Two pilot activities were submitted and approved in early 2014. One activity proposed providing
recertification credit related to new cardiovascular treatment guidelines. The other proposal was focused on
the new anticoagulation guidelines. The target audience for both proposals was Board Certified
Ambulatory Care Pharmacists (BCACPs), Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BCPSs), and
certificants who hold both BCACP and BCPS credentials. These activities represent examples of
recertification across multiple specialty areas.
E. Proposing Addendums to the Recertification Program
BPS recognizes that ideas for innovative programming and activities may develop during the course of a contract
term. PDP providers must submit addendum(s) to the original proposal at least 6 months before the activitys golive date for consideration and approval by the BPS Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Council and Board of
Directors. (See Appendix E.) It should not be assumed that all addendums will be approved because the overall
contract award rests in the strength of the core recertification curriculum submitted in response to this RFP.
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III. GENERAL CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS

A. Personnel
A complete roster of all professional and nonprofessional staff who would be assigned to the program shall be
provided, along with their credentials, job title, prior work experience related to the job responsibilities and tasks to
be performed in this project, and time assigned to this project.
NOTE: The project director and professional staff shall have demonstrated prior experience in the
development of professional development programs and in testing and measurement, pertinent to the
education and assessment of certified or licensed professionals.
The prospective PDP provider shall provide an organizational chart of the organization.
The prospective PDP provider must disclose the names, addresses, and roles of any subcontractors assigned to the
project and provide similar credentials/identification materials, as noted above.
The prospective PDP provider must identify a single organizational point of contact for use by BPS and certificants
for information about the program.
The prospective PDP provider must disclose any potential conflicts of interest between the PDP, subcontractor(s),
other certification agencies, and BPS.
The prospective PDP provider must agree to provide timely information about the program in response to annual
requests from the Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Council in order to complete the required annual evaluation of
the program, and to work with the Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Council and BPS to correct identified
deficiencies.
B. Prior Experience and References
The prospective PDP provider shall document relevant experience in conducting similar or related projects of
comparable or larger scope.
A sample of a previously generated technical report summarizing completion of a related project by the PDP
provider shall be submitted as an attachment to the proposal. If such reports are confidential and may not be
released by the prospective PDP provider, the names of clients from whom a sample report may be requested
should be provided if possible.
The prospective PDP provider shall identify at least three individuals or groups that may be contacted to provide
performance references. A description of the respective projects, the name and title of the principals to be
contacted, and their current addresses and telephone numbers should be included. The prospective PDP provider
shall also state that BPS has been granted permission to contact these references.
A listing or an annotated bibliography of relevant projects in the area of professional development (continuing
education/assessment) that have been performed and published by the prospective PDP provider or their principals
would help to support qualifications.

C. Management Plan
The prospective PDP provider shall present a detailed management plan for completing all of the work specified in
the proposal, including a plan for coordination of the work with the Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Council and
BPS staff. The prospective PDP provider must submit a detailed time and task completion schedule for all
activities to be performed.
D. Facilities and Equipment
The prospective PDP provider shall identify the location(s) of the contractor company and any subcontractor(s) and
provide a description of these facilities.
The prospective PDP provider shall provide a description of available durable equipment (i.e., computers, printers)
that will be utilized for the project by the contractor and any subcontractors.
E. Additional Contract Provisions
1. The prospective PDP provider must be an accredited provider of continuing education programs by the
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and be in good standing.
2. To facilitate evaluation of proposals, the prospective PDP provider is requested to organize its proposal
according to the criteria as presented in Section II.A.
3. The prospective PDP provider shall provide a written attestation that it will comply with all federal, state,
and local laws, regulations, and ordinances in undertaking and performing the services called for by this
RFP.
4. The prospective PDP provider acknowledges that they will not provide services or engage in business
related to the certification or recertification of pharmacy specialists during the contract term that would be
in conflict with BPS programs without the written consent of BPS.
5. Proposals submitted must be signed by a company official with authorization to bind the prospective PDP
provider to the provisions of the proposal.
6. All proposals submitted should indicate that they are valid for a period of at least 180 days from the
submission date of the proposal.
7. The contents of the proposal submitted by a successful PDP provider shall become a contractual obligation
if the program is approved.
8. Should the proposal of a prospective PDP provider contain technical information that the PDP provider
does not want to be disclosed beyond its use to evaluate the PDP providers qualifications, the PDP
provider should clearly mark the cover sheet of the proposal with a statement to that effect, specifying the
material and the pages restricted.
9. BPS reserves the right to make an award without further discussion after proposals are opened or to reject
any or all proposals.
F. Financial Considerations
BPS will assume no financial responsibility for the development, implementation, or promotion of approved
professional development programs, nor will BPS seek financial benefit from them beyond the fee description
below.
Upon designation as an approved program, the PDP provider will be assessed an initial designation fee of
$1,000. Each approved program will be evaluated annually to determine whether it continues to meet the stated
criteria. If the criteria are adequately met, the program will be designated as an approved program for that year and
the PDP provider will be assessed an annual designation fee of $650. These fees are subject to change with 6
6

months notice.
G. BPS Support and Other Resources
The BPS Executive Director, in conjunction with the BPS Director, Professional Affairs, will serve as the primary
points of contact during this project, and other staff will be available to assist in carrying out the scope of work
designated in this RFP. The BPS website located at www.bpsweb.org is a resource that is available to all parties
responding to this RFP and should be the primary source of information for perspective PDP providers.

IV. INFORMATION and INSTRUCTIONS for SUBMISSION of PROPOSAL

After reviewing the RFP, prospective PDP providers are required to indicate their intent to respond with a
proposal. An Intent to Respond acknowledgement should be sent via e-mail to [email protected] no later
than Monday, January 5, 2015. Failure to meet this deadline may result in disqualification. Please include the
contact name, phone number, and e-mail address of the individual who will serve as the point of contact for the
organization. Questions regarding this RFP should be posed in writing, citing the RFP title, page, section, and
paragraph, by the date listed below. Prospective PDP providers proposals will be accepted only if submitted via email to Brian Lawson at [email protected]. Inquiries beyond this contract are not recommended and may be
cause for declining a proposal.
All responses to questions will be shared with all prospective PDP providers who have notified BPS of their
intent to respond. The identity of the prospective PDP provider submitting the question will not be disclosed and
will remain confidential. BPS reserves the right to answer only questions pertaining directly to the RFP and
this work. Answers may be provided earlier but no later than Wednesday, January 28, 2015.
A. Timetable for Submission and Review of Proposals
Submission Process
Release of RFP:
Intent to Respond from prospective PDP providers due to BPS:
Questions from prospective PDP providers due to BPS:
BPS responses to prospective PDP provider questions:
Date and time of closing for submissions: 5pm ET:
Anticipated contract award decision:
Contract period begins:

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Monday, January 5, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday, June 1, 2015
Friday, January 1, 2016

Submission Format: A single bookmarked portable document format (PDF) is the preferred submission format.
Proposals should not exceed 40 pages including all appendices. Proposals should be sent via e-mail to the address
below:
Brian Lawson, PharmD
Director, Professional Affairs
Board of Pharmacy Specialties
2215 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202-429-4116
E-mail: [email protected]
Incomplete proposals, proposals exceeding the page limit, proposals received after the deadline, and proposals sent
by fax or hardcopy may be dismissed without consideration.
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BPS will confirm receipt of the Intent to Respond and proposals within 48 business hours of the date and time
submitted. If notification of receipt is not received after 48 business hours, please contact BPS.
B. Terminology
The word may means a certain act is permitted but not required.
The word must means the performance of a certain act is a mandatory condition and that there is no choice but to
perform the action as described.
The word shall is an auxiliary verb utilized in the imperative mood and has the same meaning as must.
The word should means that there is a strong expectation that a certain act will be performed without a
mandatory obligation to perform such an act.
The word will is an auxiliary verb denoting future tense only.
C. Queries on the RFP Process
All questions or requests for clarifications regarding this RFP must be directed to:
Brian Lawson, PharmD
Director, Professional Affairs
Board of Pharmacy Specialties
2215 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202-429-4116
E-mail: [email protected]

V. SELECTION and EVALUATION of PROPOSALS

Designation of approved programs will be based on the completeness and technical quality of the proposal. In
addition, the following factors will be evaluated: prospective PDP providers qualifications and experience, stated
ability to meet the specified timetable, resources and use of technology to create program improvements and
efficiencies, and approach to work with a focus on innovation and efficiency consistent with a peer-reviewed,
evidence-based, defensible process. Although not required, strong consideration will be given to proposals that
include a collaborative relationship with multiple perspective professional development programs or other
organizations that meet the needs of Psychiatric Pharmacists. Proposals will be evaluated by the Psychiatric
Pharmacy Specialty Council, the BPS Board, and BPS Staff. Specialty Council recommendations will be presented
to the BPS Board for consideration.
The following questions will be used to review the merits of submitted proposals:
A.
B.
C.
D.

Has the proposal satisfactorily addressed each of the required items listed in Section II.A.?
Has the proposal satisfactorily addressed other contractual matters described in II.B., II.C., and all of III?
Is the proposal clear and succinct?
Is the prospective PDP provider's approach to professional development programs appropriate to achieve
the goals of this project?
E. Is there flexibility in the PDP providers approach to accommodate unforeseen circumstances?
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F. Is the proposal sufficiently detailed so that an appropriate evaluation can be made of the proposed
program?
G. Does the prospective PDP provider have a grasp of the issues connected with developing a program to
educate and evaluate the knowledge and skills of Psychiatric Pharmacists?
H. Is the time schedule reasonable and does the prospective PDP provider have a history of being able to meet
deadlines?
I. Does the prospective PDP provider have the desired capability, staff, and experience in developing
professional development programs and in project management?
J. Does the prospective PDP provider have the capabilities to offer the program in a variety of formats that
meet the learning needs of BCPP?
K. Has the prospective PDP provider described any innovative plans that may be of long-term benefit to the
specialty of Psychiatric Pharmacy?
This RFP is not binding upon BPS. Additional information may be requested, or other selection criteria may be
used in evaluating prospective PDP providers. Selection of any PDP provider is at the sole discretion of BPS. This
request and any response do not constitute a contract in the absence of a formal written agreement signed by BPS
and any PDP provider selected.
Although proposals may be accepted and a contract awarded without discussion, BPS may initiate discussion with
the prospective PDP provider should clarification be necessary. Prospective PDP providers should be prepared to
provide qualified personnel to discuss technical and contractual aspects of the proposal.
BPS intends to make its final selection by Monday, June 1, 2015. The winning prospective PDP provider will be
notified of acceptance, and other finalists will be notified of decline. From this milestone and following contract
signing, BPS expects contracts to begin Friday, January 1, 2016.
Note: Public announcements or news releases pertaining to any contract awarded should not be made without the
written permission of BPS.

VI. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A. Board of Pharmacy Specialties
In 1971, the Board of Trustees of the American Pharmaceutical Association (now American Pharmacists
Association; APhA) appointed a Task Force on Specialties in Pharmacy to conduct a detailed analysis of pharmacy
practice. The task force determined that the profession lends itself to specialization and recommended the creation
of a Board to recognize specialties and to certify specialists. Seven criteria on which specialty recognition should
be based were also recommended. The Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (now Board of Pharmacy Specialties;
BPS) was created on January 5, 1976. The purpose of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties is to formally recognize
those areas of pharmacy practice that meet all the established criteria for specialty recognition; certify and recertify
practitioners in those formally recognized areas according to established standards; and communicate the
importance of board certification to the profession, other health care professionals, and the public in order to
protect the publics health and advance the provision of pharmaceutical care.
When a specialty practice area is officially recognized by BPS, a Specialty Council is formed to direct the
development and administration of that certification process. Currently, there are eight recognized specialty
practice areas: ambulatory care pharmacy, critical care pharmacy, nuclear pharmacy, nutrition support pharmacy,
oncology pharmacy, pediatric pharmacy, pharmacotherapy, and psychiatric pharmacy.
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B. Board Certification in Psychiatric Pharmacy

In 1992, BPS officially recognized Psychiatric Pharmacy as a specialty practice area. A Psychiatric Pharmacy
Specialty Council was formed and charged with developing a psychometrically sound and legally defensible
certification and recertification process. To assist the Council in fulfilling this charge, BPS contracted the services
of Castle Worldwide, Inc. (Castle), Morrisville, NC. Castle is one of the nations industry-leading certification and
licensure testing companies; it works with more than 80 health-related and other professional, governmental, and
industrial clients.
Procedures were designed to ensure the validity of the specialty certification examination. A group consensus
process was used to develop the initial structure and definitions for a role delineation study. The Specialty Council
defined the major areas of responsibility (domains) of the Psychiatric Pharmacy specialist, the tasks associated with
those domains, and the knowledge base necessary to appropriately perform those tasks. Furthermore, individuals
recommended by the Council as being representative of the specialty were interviewed about the tasks and
knowledge base critical to their practice. The data from these critical incident interviews were used to confirm
and/or modify the content of the Councils initial role delineation. The domains, tasks, and knowledge areas were
also validated through a contrasting groups survey between pharmacists who work in the specialized area of
Psychiatric Pharmacy and those in general pharmacy practice. Analysis of the results of this survey determined the
scope and depth of the material to be tested on the specialty certification examination. Since the first task analysis
study, several updates have occurred, resulting in changes to keep the BPS Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty
Examination current and credible.
There are 805 pharmacists currently certified in Psychiatric Pharmacy, and the number continues to increase
significantly each year. Additional information on BPS and the Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty is at
www.bpsweb.org.

VII. APPENDICES
A.

Executive Summary Chart Format

B.

Domains of Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice. Prospective professional development providers should refer to
the current complete Content Outline for the Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty, published at ww.bpsweb.org.

C.

Examination Item Procedure

D.

Examination Item Construction Form

E.

2014 Membership Rosters for BPS Board of Directors and Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Council

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APPENDIX A
Executive Summary Chart Format (not to exceed two pages)
Name of proposing
organization and
professional
development program
Highlight and briefly
discuss three strengths
of the proposal.

Provide the minimum

number of continuing
education hours to be
offered by each
recertification activity
per year from 2016
through 2022. Include
the type/format of the
offering (i.e., live, home
study) and the estimated
cost to the certificant.

Year

Number and total years

of relevant experience of
qualified experts, peer
reviewers, project
director, professional
and nonprofessional
staff, and other
volunteers

Names of three related

projects with brief
descriptions (maximum
of 1to 2 sentences)

Names of collaborating
organizations and/or
subcontractors (if
applicable)

Optional
List innovative or pilot
activities.

Activity 1 (hours, type, cost)

Activity 2 (hours, type, cost)

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Total hours
and estimated
cost/hour/certificant
(over 7 years)
___ Qualified experts and ___ total years of experience and ___% BCPP
___ Peer reviewers and ___ total years of experience and ___% BCPP
___ Project director and ___ total years of experience
___ Professional staff and ___ total years of experience
___ Nonprofessional staff and ___ total years of experience
___ Other volunteers and ___ total years of experience

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APPENDIX B
Domains of Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice
Refer to the current Content Outline for Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty, posted at www.bpsweb.org.

12

APPENDIX C
Examination Item Procedure
BPS requests that providers follow an item development procedure that is consistent with a peer-reviewed,
evidence-based, defensible process when preparing multiple-choice items to be used in evaluation. For example:

All items should be written by subject-matter experts in the practice field.

Each subject-matter expert should receive guidance in writing, reviewing, and editing items.
Each item should be reviewed and validated by multiple subject-matter experts.
Each item should have a verifiable published reference.
Each item should be linked to the content being tested.
The stem of each item should be meaningful and present a definite single problem/question.
The stem of each item should be free of irrelevant information and should not teach the candidate.
Each item should have one correct answer. All other options should be plausible but incorrect based on
the problem/question presented in the stem.

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APPENDIX D
Examination Item Construction Form

EXAMINATION ITEM CONSTRUCTION FORM

DATE:
Castle Worldwide, Inc.
900 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite G
Morrisville, NC 27560

Phone: 919.572.6880
Fax: 919.361.2426
E-mail: [email protected]

ITEM STEM:

CORRECT ANSWER:

A.

B.

C.

D.

REFERENCE / CLASSIFICATION / ITEM WRITER INFORMATION (PLEASE COMPLETE ALL FIELDS)

Title:
Author:
Publisher:

Date:

Page:

Item Writer Name:

Classification Number(s) (Core and Secondary):
Cognitive Level:

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JUSTFICATION:

VALIDATION CHECKLIST
JUDGE #1
INITIALS
__________

JUDGE #2
INITIALS
__________

JUDGE #3
INITIALS
__________

Is mastery of the knowledge tested by the item

essential for competent practice?
Is the item classified to the correct areas within the
content outline(s)/classification system(s)?
Is the knowledge tested by the item either
moderately important or of greatest importance to
the assessment of competent practice?
Does a correct response to the item moderately or
clearly differentiate adequate from inadequate
performance for the practitioner?
Does the item have a complete verified reference?
Does the item free from demeaning, offensive, or
stereotypical content?
Is the item appropriate for the certification-level
practitioner?
Is the keyed answer correct?
Can the keyed answer be defended if necessary?
Are the distractors incorrect, but plausible?

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APPENDIX E
MEMBERSHIP ROSTERS for 2014
BOARD OF PHARMACY SPECIALTIES
Sharon M. Durfee, BS, BCNSP (Chair)
William E. Evans, PharmD
Harold N. Godwin, MS
Sheila A. Haas, PhD, RN, FAAN
Andrea Iannucci, PharmD, BCOP
Beth Mertz, PhD, MA
John A. Pieper, PharmD, FCCP (Chair-Elect)
James A. Ponto, MS, RPh, BCNP
Maria Llana Posey, PharmD, BCPP
Joseph J. Saseen, PharmD, BCPP (Immediate Past Chair)
Suzanne R. White, MD
Daniel E. Buffington, PharmD, MBA (APhA Trustee member/Non-Voting BPS Board Member)
PSYCHIATRIC PHARMACY SPECIALTY COUNCIL
Sheila R. Botts, PharmD, BCPP
Jeannine M. Conway, PharmD, BCPS
Kelly C Lee, PharmD, BCPP
Troy A. Moore, BCPP
Leigh Anne Nelson, PharmD, BCPP (Chair)
Paul L. Price, PharmD, BCPP
Nancy L. Shapiro, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS
Tracy H. Taveira, PharmD, CDOE
Stanley Weber, PharmD, FASHP, BCPP (Vice Chair)

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