The American College of Apothecaries (ACA) is an international (
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
)
professional association
A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...
in the field of
independent community pharmacy practice. The organization offers
continuing education
Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...
(CE) credits for pharmacists in coordination with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
In 1977, the ACA helped establish the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) as a charter member.
The ACA is affiliated with the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists (ACVP)
and the ACA Research & Education Foundation.
The current ACA Chairman is Thomas J. Hunt, RPh, FACA, FACVP, and the ACA President is Ryan Oftebro, PharmD, FACA, FACVP.
History
The ACA was founded in 1940 in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
.
Dissatisfied with the state of the profession of pharmacy at the time, the ACA sought to focus pharmacists on pharmacy practice, rather than merchandising. The ACA recommended that community pharmacies be barred from having lunch counters and soda fountains in their stores.
Services
Compounding
The ACA offers pharmaceutical compounding training courses throughout the United States.
The ACA also holds the "Quality Compounding Summit," a conference on topics related to quality assurance methods in pharmaceutical compounding.
Courses are also offered at the ACA National Training Laboratory at their headquarters, such as "Compounding for Hormone Replacement Therapy," a 15-hour continuing education program aimed at helping pharmacists provide compounded
hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal ...
.
Other courses are offered as well through their online portal.
HIV
The ACA is responsible for accrediting the "MichRx HIV Pharmacy Online Certification Training Program," a 5 credit-hour program aimed at training pharmacists to serve patients with HIV in their local communities.
It is not to be confused with the American Academy of HIV Medicine's "HIV Pharmacist" program, which provides the post-nominals "AAHIVP" (American Academy of HIV Medicine, HIV Pharmacist).
Politics
Historically, the ACA has opposed allowing pharmacists to substitute generic medications, a position that was at odds with that of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) in 1972.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official YouTube channel
Organizations based in Richmond, Virginia
1940 establishments in Virginia