2020 Volume 55 Issue 1 Pages 38-53
Mitsuru Uchiyama, former representative director of the Council on Pharmacists Credentials (CPC), passed away in June 2019. He became president of the Japan Pharmacist Training Center (JPEC), which supports and promotes continuing education (CE), and later became the representative director of the newly established independent evaluation agency, CPC, which evaluates and accredits pharmacist certification programs. He explained the necessity of CE and credentials, which are objective proof of the results of CE, and made a great contribution to the development of CE. Purpose: This paper reviews the history of CE for pharmacists in Japan, “in memory of Mitsuru Uchiyama, Ph.D.,” and examines the background and issues leading up to the current situation today. Method: Information on CE for pharmacists and various certification programs are investigated using websites, books, and other materials. Results: The CE for pharmacists in Japan began systematically in 1989 with the establishment of JPEC. CE programs were started in 1994, special training programs were introduced in 1998, and pharmacy specialties programs were added in 2005. After that, based on the needs expressed from the medical side, many academic and professional pharmaceutical organizations have created special training and pharmacy specialties programs in various fields. Currently, the number of programs exceeds 30. CPC, established in 2004, has evaluated and accredits pharmacist credentialing programs that meet the evaluation criteria. To date, it has certified 32 programs, mainly CE programs. Uchiyama carried 70 columns, which can be called the “CE theory” on a website, and made it a message to pharmacists. Conclusion: The CE for pharmacists is developing steadily, but there are several problems. Special training and pharmacy specialties programs have issues regarding the level and uniformity of programs, and independent evaluation is required. The number of credentials in CE programs has increased rapidly in recent years in connection with medical fees. There is a tendency to easily obtain credentials in some pharmacists, so correction is necessary. It is hoped that we pharmacists will learn from the messages left by Uchiyama, such as the basic principles of CE, and utilize them in our own CE.
