ANALYSIS OF THE PRACTICE OF NUTRITION SUPPORT PHARMACY SPECIALISTS

In 1988 the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS) recognized nutri tion support pharmacy practice (NSPP) as one of four specialty areas i n pharmacy. The BPS appointed a specialty council to develop and manag e the process for board certification of qualified specialists. One st ep was to identify and validate activities performed by the specialist s. This was accomplished by conducting a study that delineated the rol e of these practitioners and also provided information for developing a blueprint for a certification examination. The results revealed the types of practice settings, education, and training for specialists, a nd the distribution of professional time devoted to nutrition support activities.