Bcps

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ngmc11

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How long did it take you to study for BCPS? How did you approach it? Any advice?
Thanks!

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I'm so glad I'm off the rest of the week - if I had to go work tomorrow I'd be furious. Should we give up on tonight and wait until the morning?
 
Got the email at 6pm. Signed in with chrome at 7pm. Profile said passed but i could not open results page. Copy and pasted link of results to mozilla and it opened up.
 
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2 hour wait from when I got the email, but I got the news I was looking for!!! I'm numb with relief! Congrats to everyone else who passed!
 
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Good lord! After almost 3.5 hours later, I finally got my result. 617/800, I'll take it! :) I'm not complaining. I'll take any passing scores. Ha!
 
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Same. after a long day of waiting, I finally got the email. After 30 min struggling to log in ( HR over 100 at this point) Still no result. This is unacceptable and cruel
i would just recommend you forget about it and re-check on Jan 1st. it will be like new year's resolution for you. this test is just not that important. even when i took and passed the BCPS, it was really not that important and i kind of thought it was just another meaningless title that really didn't count for anything.......
 
Congratulations everyone! Enjoy the feeling, and enjoy the shiny new certificate in the mail + the extra pay bump/bonus if your employer gives it.
 
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Congratulations everyone! Enjoy the feeling, and enjoy the shiny new certificate in the mail + the extra pay bump/bonus if your employer gives it.
I always wondered if you already got a raise because of BCPS, if you do additional certification like BCCCP then do you get another raise ?? How is it in your institutions ? if can get another pay raise,, now that would make it worth while.... but i suspect pay raise is one time thing at most places.... Since especially BPS really screw you over with fees and things after you pass as well.......
 
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i would just recommend you forget about it and re-check on Jan 1st. it will be like new
year's resolution for you. this test is
just not that important. even when i
took and passed the BCPS, it was
really not that important and i kind of
thought it was just another
meaningless title that really didn't
count for anything.......[/QUOTE/]

I took the exam because I wanted to challenge myself and mainly to brush up on the new guidelines. I took the BCACP exam 2 years ago and learned a
lot, so I decided to take the BCPS exam this year. I'm in retail, so I didn't take those exams to get a raise. I took them to improve my knowledge. And since I learned a lot, I don't think taking the exams was meaningless. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
 
i would just recommend you forget about it and re-check on Jan 1st. it will be like new year's resolution for you. this test is
just not that important. even when i
took and passed the BCPS, it was
really not that important and i kind of thought it was just another
meaningless title that really didn't
count for anything.......

I took the exam because I wanted to challenge myself and mainly to brush up on the new guidelines. I took the BCACP exam 2 years ago and learned a
lot, so I decided to take the BCPS exam this year. I'm in retail, so I didn't take those exams to get a raise. I took them to improve my knowledge. And since I learned a lot, I don't think taking the exams was meaningless.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
 
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i would just recommend you forget about it and re-check on Jan 1st. it will be like new
year's resolution for you. this test is
just not that important. even when i
took and passed the BCPS, it was
really not that important and i kind of
thought it was just another
meaningless title that really didn't
count for anything.......[/QUOTE/]

I took the exam because I wanted to challenge myself and mainly to brush up on the new guidelines. I took the BCACP exam 2 years ago and learned a
lot, so I decided to take the BCPS exam this year. I'm in retail, so I didn't take those exams to get a raise. I took them to improve my knowledge. And since I learned a lot, I don't think taking the exams was meaningless.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
I completely agree with you Kuvan. I did not take BCPS or BCCCP for monetary reasons. I want to stay current and I learned a lot from BCPS. I've worked in the ICU for years so when BPS made Critical Care an option I jumped at the chance to become even more knowledgeable in my specialty area. They are not useless at all and I'm very proud of both certifications. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
 
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I always wondered if you already got a raise because of BCPS, if you do additional certification like BCCCP then do you get another raise ?? How is it in your institutions ? if can get another pay raise,, now that would make it worth while.... but i suspect pay raise is one time thing at most places.... Since especially BPS really screw you over with fees and things after you pass as well.......

Can't speak for the thousands of employers out there, but mine will pay for the exam itself and bonus CE hours. So 15 hours of CE for State licensure is already included in my comp. package annually (it's 30 hours/2 years), BCPS earned me an extra 20 CE hours a year. Hasn't been decided whether 2nd BPS certification gets you another 20 on top of that, mostly because that hasn't happened up until a few days ago.

So financially, I end up a little bit ahead ($1600 extra per year - ~$300 for PSAP books = $1300 extra net per year). But I didn't take the BCPS for money -- I took it for knowledge and because, coupled with my inpatient experience and PGY-1, makes me a lot more mobile and marketable for the job market.

A little bit of future-proofing here, so the exam/cert will pay dividends down the road, the extra $$ now isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. There's much easier/cheaper ways to obtain CE and stay current.
 
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Kuvan and CCrx- I agree 100%. Money isn't the only reason to do this (I didn't get a pay bump at all). There were several internal factors (improving from a clinical standpoint, precasting residency students, staying at the top of my game, etc.). Furthermore, not all monetary benefits of the exam reveal themselves instantaneously. I have an interest in administration (hence, I am also pursuing and finishing my MBA this spring) and I want to develop a clinical and administrative foundation that puts me in the best position to succeed. By pursuing more education, and board certification, I've been able to internalize a lot and look at situations much differently.

Simply, once you're passionate about something, no one should have to pay you more to take your game to the next level/improve.

You shouldn't need the incentive to want to better yourself- you should just do it.
 
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Just curious .... Have you guys noticed a trend towards PGY2 residents taking the fall BCPS? (I ask this as a PGY2 resident who obv just took it ha ha). Just from my own casual observations in my area on the East Coast, it seems like a handful of years ago this may have been unheard of. Last year there were one or two PGY2s I heard of who had taken BCPS, and this year there are even more than that. Wondering if this is going to become a trend now (if it isn't already). Have you guys noticed anything similar in your areas? If so, it would not surprise me as the goalposts keep on rapidly moving in our profession ...
 
I took the exam because I wanted to challenge myself and mainly to brush up on the new guidelines. I took the BCACP exam 2 years ago and learned a
lot, so I decided to take the BCPS exam this year. I'm in retail, so I didn't take those exams to get a raise. I took them to improve my knowledge. And since I learned a lot, I don't think taking the exams was meaningless.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Exactly, if someone that works in retail can pass this test, what does that tell you ?
 
Absolutely nothing. One of the smartest, most hardworking people I know works in retail by choice.
That's not what i meant......oh boy..... it has nothing to do with who is smart or what. These BCPS or BCCCP test are designed to test the clinical skills of hospital pharmacists who practice in these specialty areas. They are very patient specific and is supposed to test your ability to assess patients and make the best possible clinical decisions in these hospital setting...... So if someone that practices in Community can study for few months and pass the test just like that,,,,,,that tells you that TEST is Not a true test of clinical skills of these hospital pharmacists........ So Test is pure Garbage and means nothing...... I had known this as soon as i took the test.
 
I don't think that many people have delusions of what BCPS is...it's a 200 question multiple choice exam. It's not equivalent to clinical practice experience, a residency, or other work experience.

BCPS only has clinical meaning with corroborating clinical experience. It *does* have meaning if it's a personal goal, though.
 
That's not what i meant......oh boy..... it has nothing to do with who is smart or what. These BCPS or BCCCP test are designed to test the clinical skills of hospital pharmacists who practice in these specialty areas. They are very patient specific and is supposed to test your ability to assess patients and make the best possible clinical decisions in these hospital setting...... So if someone that practices in Community can study for few months and pass the test just like that,,,,,,that tells you that TEST is Not a true test of clinical skills of these hospital pharmacists........ So Test is pure Garbage and means nothing...... I had known this as soon as i took the test.

I understand what you are saying. They can't possibly test us on everything. They can only test our basic knowledge. And by calling the exam garbage is an insult to those who failed the exams.
 
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That's not what i meant......oh boy..... it has nothing to do with who is smart or what. These BCPS or BCCCP test are designed to test the clinical skills of hospital pharmacists who practice in these specialty areas. They are very patient specific and is supposed to test your ability to assess patients and make the best possible clinical decisions in these hospital setting...... So if someone that practices in Community can study for few months and pass the test just like that,,,,,,that tells you that TEST is Not a true test of clinical skills of these hospital pharmacists........ So Test is pure Garbage and means nothing...... I had known this as soon as i took the test.

Are your contributions adding any positive value to this conversation? It seems like all of your posts are either a.) complaints about the exam and b.) passive aggressive statements that are intended target/anger those individuals who invested a lot of their time and money into taking it.

If you don't see the merit in the exam, why come here to read/post/consume yourself with it? And if that's what you want to do, just say "The exam is worthless," and move on. Instead, all I have seen is an endless list of rants and raves that are slewed together into a grammatical nightmare only a 5th grade English teacher could love.

Furthermore, if the exam was such a waste of time, why did you bother taking it?
 
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Are your contributions adding any positive value to this conversation? It seems like all of your posts are either a.) complaints about the exam and b.) passive aggressive statements that are intended target/anger those individuals who invested a lot of their time and money into taking it.

If you don't see the merit in the exam, why come here to read/post/consume yourself with it? And if that's what you want to do, just say "The exam is worthless," and move on. Instead, all I have seen is an endless list of rants and raves that are slewed together into a grammatical nightmare only a 5th grade English teacher could love.

Furthermore, if the exam was such a waste of time, why did you bother taking it?

I only took it because there was 6 % pay raise for getting BCPS after my Pharm.D. This 6% pay increase was from my employer. I just don't want the ignorant pharmacist out there to think just cause they have BCPS, BCCCPS after their name, it signifies or carries any kind of real credentials of being a good clinical pharmacist. Years and Years of clinical pharmacy experience in hospital setting is what really gives you that Credentials of clinical competency. I don't mean to be condescending,, that is last thing i want to do. It is just that this exam needs to be improved if it is going to gain real credibility beyond the shallow thinking pharmacists out there.
 
Are your contributions adding any positive value to this conversation? It seems like all of your posts are either a.) complaints about the exam and b.) passive aggressive statements that are intended target/anger those individuals who invested a lot of their time and money into taking it.

If you don't see the merit in the exam, why come here to read/post/consume yourself with it? And if that's what you want to do, just say "The exam is worthless," and move on. Instead, all I have seen is an endless list of rants and raves that are slewed together into a grammatical nightmare only a 5th grade English teacher could love.

Furthermore, if the exam was such a waste of time, why did you bother taking it?
I couldn't have said it better myself. I was beginning to think I was the only one wondering why he/she was posting such negative, insulting comments. Sounds like a little bitterness on their end to me. Let go of it and stop "contributing" to the forum....I think we all know how you feel by now.
 
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I am looking through the PSAP books on ACCP but it doesn't say how many credits you get for completion of each book. Does anyone know how many BCPS credits you get for each book? Also any word yet on whether the CCSAP will count as dual credit for BCPS?
 
I am looking through the PSAP books on ACCP but it doesn't say how many credits you get for completion of each book. Does anyone know how many BCPS credits you get for each book? Also any word yet on whether the CCSAP will count as dual credit for BCPS?
The number of credit hours varies from each book. I think if you get the whole set you should have enough to get your recertification just from PSAP.
 
I am looking through the PSAP books on ACCP but it doesn't say how many credits you get for completion of each book. Does anyone know how many BCPS credits you get for each book? Also any word yet on whether the CCSAP will count as dual credit for BCPS?
The current one is 28.....i think they average about 25 per. ☺
 
The number of credit hours varies from each book. I think if you get the whole set you should have enough to get your recertification just from PSAP.
how much does each book cost ? and how many credit do you need for BCPS recertification again ?? and is there any conference you can attend to get some of these credits and apply toward re-certification ?
 
If anyone has the 2015 ACCP BCPS study materials that they would like to share, please PM me! Thanks a bunch! :)
 
how much does each book cost ? and how many credit do you need for BCPS recertification again ?? and is there any conference you can attend to get some of these credits and apply toward re-certification ?

I paid $90 for one module a few months ago for my BCACP recertification. I got 23.5 hours out of it. It's cheaper to get the whole set coz that will give you enough hours for your BCPS. 120 hours for BCPS and 100 hours for BCACP. I think you can use the prep course twice in 7 years to get your recert hours but you can't use it 2 years in a row. It's still cheaper to get the PSAP or ACSAP. You can also get some hours from ASHP. Here's the link. http://www.ashpcertifications.org/certifications/pharmacotherapy/recertification/

The continuing education option for recertification was implemented in 1994 with BPS' designation of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy's Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) as an acceptable professional development program for recertification. In 2011, BPS approved two more options for recertification through ACCP, the Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Review and Recertification Course as well as the Clinical Reasoning Series. Starting in 2013, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has been approved as a provider of professional development programs for Pharmacotherapy Specialists. ASHP's approved BCPS Recertification Program consists of three components: the ASHP Pharmacotherapy Review and Recertification Course; the BCPS Recertification Literature Study; and the Pharmacotherapy Intensive Study.

BCPS recertifying via continuing education are required to earn 120 hours of credit from approved programs. No more than 60 hours may be earned prior to the end of the fourth year of certification. However, all 120 hours may be earned during the last three years of certification. Those using PSAP for recertification should note that there is a postmark deadline for submission of the tests for recertification credit. The BCPS Expiration Date of a PSAP module determines the year the program is creditable, regardless of when it is completed and submitted by the certificant. For example, a module due on January 20 of a particular year will only be credited for that year, even if it was submitted in December of the previous year. You can download a BCPS Professional Development chart byclicking here.

To complete the 120 hour requirement, BCPS may participate in recertification from both BPS-approved providers. Please note, the Pharmacotherapy Review and Recertification Courses offered by either of the approved providers may only be completed for recertification credit up to two times, in nonconsecutive years, during the recertification cycle.
 
I completely agree with you Kuvan. I did not take BCPS or BCCCP for monetary reasons. I want to stay current and I learned a lot from BCPS. I've worked in the ICU for years so when BPS made Critical Care an option I jumped at the chance to become even more knowledgeable in my specialty area. They are not useless at all and I'm very proud of both certifications. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Hi, would you be interested in selling any of your study materials or allowing me to borrow them? Let me know. Looking to purchase something by tomorrow. Thanks.
 
So did you study alot for the exam ?? How many weeks did you study ? and did you only study from Prep materials ? and i am thinking they passed more people this time since this is 1st time exam. and these certification doesn't mean that much, not as much as you think it does.
Congrats! Interested in selling your study materials? Let me know.
 
Next stop for me is CNSC. Certified Nutrition Support Clinician. One of our nutritionists convinced me to take the test as we start up a nutrition support service.
Congrats! Interested in selling your study materials? Let me know.
 
Hey all,

I'm a pharmacist from the UK.
Considering siting the BCPS exam in April: is three months enough time to study? Is that intense studying in three months or chilled out studying? Any topics I should concentrate on in particular? I've heard biostatistics is pretty popular.. Also if anyone has any study materials from 2015, id be happy to purchase them off you, just PM me.
Sorry for all the questions, I'm sure you've heard them all before however you won't find many UK qualified pharmacists who have taken this exam..
Thanks
Adam
 
To those who have sat the exam successfully, do you think it's possible to pass with the lectures and slides? Or is it 'a must' to use the workbook?
 
I'm taking it in October can u email me study material please


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To those who have sat the exam successfully, do you think it's possible to pass with the lectures and slides? Or is it 'a must' to use the workbook?

You need the workbooks. The lectures and slides are there to highlight some of the important stuff. That's just my opinion.
 
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You need the workbooks. The lectures and slides are there to highlight some of the important stuff. That's just my opinion.
I agree--the lectures and slides are not enough--especially on stats and study design.
 
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I was wondering who has High Yield materials that he/she could share? I've already taken and passed the BCPS exam. It's just that everyone mentions it all the time, so I would like to see how good the High Yield is. Thanks in advance. :)
It's tricky the way HYMR works--timed subscription with a limited number of views of each lecture. I purchased when I took the exam and I thought the information was good but ACCP is definitely more geared toward helping you pass the test. It's a really good indepth review of mech of action etc of all drugs--a ton of material. I just wished I had had more time to listen to the lectures and study the ACCP material too.
 
It's tricky the way HYMR works--timed subscription with a limited number of views of each lecture. I purchased when I took the exam and I thought the information was good but ACCP is definitely more geared toward helping you pass the test. It's a really good indepth review of mech of action etc of all drugs--a ton of material. I just wished I had had more time to listen to the lectures and study the ACCP material too.

Ahh...I see. So, they don't sell books then? Did you take it recently?
 
Ahh...I see. So, they don't sell books then? Did you take it recently?

I took BCPS in 2014 and got the books that year--they send a huge book of slides but without the lectures they don't really mean much.
 
Is anybody taking the BCCCP exam today, or has anybody taken it yet? If so, what can we expect? Some of this material is a little exhausting. What are your thoughts on areas of much needed concentration?
 
I took BCPS in 2014 and got the books that year--they send a huge book of slides but without the lectures they don't really mean much.

Thanks for letting me know. I've always wondered what it's about. I only used the ACCP prep courses for both exams.
 
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