NABP and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) have a long history of working closely together to create, administer, and track continuing education and development activities for pharmacy professionals, while also helping to ensure high-quality education for future pharmacists. NABP and ACPE share a deep commitment to ensuring that pharmacists are well-equipped to serve and protect the public. As the pharmacy landscape continues to evolve with expanding scopes of practice, new technologies, and shifts in the health care workforce, NABP and ACPE’s collaboration has never been more important. We sat down with Malcolm J. Broussard, RPh, a pharmacy leader with decades of experience bridging the worlds of pharmacy regulation and education, to discuss the current state of pharmacy education and what lies ahead.
Q: Tell us about your career and how you’ve been engaged with NABP and ACPE.
During my 23-year tenure as Executive Director of the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, I had the opportunity to serve on a variety of NABP task forces and committees, including the Executive Committee, and as President of the Association. During that time, I also had the opportunity to work with ACPE, first as a field reviewer for their Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) provider accreditation program and then as a commissioner for their CPE Commission. More recently, NABP appointed me to serve on the ACPE Board of Directors.
Q: How does your work at NABP inform your work at ACPE and vice versa?
Much like pharmacy regulators assist practitioners to meet public protection standards, pharmacy accreditors, like ACPE, help colleges and schools of pharmacy comply with education quality standards. As pharmacy educators prepare their graduates for practice both in the present and future, pharmacy regulators, like NABP’s members, should ensure their public protection standards provide appropriate safeguards without unnecessary restrictions on practice advancement.
Q: What are the current challenges facing pharmacy education?
Our colleagues in colleges and schools of pharmacy have seen a reduction in the size of the pharmacy school applicant pool. Those reductions also result in a reduction in funding for pharmacy programs. More recently, there have been some shifts in the national political atmosphere related to higher education. These factors create challenges for the colleges and schools of pharmacy as they plan for curricular adjustments.
Q: How is pharmacy education adapting to changes in the health care workforce such as expanded scope of practice and license portability?
When ACPE released their updated Standards 2025, some of the changes included were requirements related to diagnosis and prescribing of medications. Colleges and schools of pharmacy have updated their curricula to meet the revised standards and are preparing their graduates for an expanded scope of practice, even in jurisdictions where those expansions are not yet legally available. As NABP develops programs that provide additional pathways for pharmacist license portability, pharmacy educators are helping their graduates navigate licensure requirements and practice successfully in multiple jurisdictions.
Q: How is pharmacy education incorporating new technologies?
Through both didactic and experiential components of the curriculum, pharmacy students learn to work with a variety of automation platforms in the compounding and dispensing of medications. They also learn to work with wearables and other remote monitoring systems. Educators also help students learn how to use artificial intelligence tools ethically and responsibly.
Q: What do you think the future of pharmacy education will look like?
I believe we could see a reduction in the number of professional pharmacy degree programs, along with an expansion in the number of programs with multiple degree delivery options (accelerated, extended, hybrid, virtual). On the premise that successful provider status legislation will stimulate compensation for non-dispensing services, I think we could see an expansion of the patient care clinical service offerings.
As the pharmacy profession continues to adapt to a shifting health care workforce, the collaboration between NABP and ACPE remains essential to ensuring that pharmacy graduates are prepared to protect the patients they serve. NABP’s ACPE-accredited CPE offerings further that commitment to protect patients through timely sessions covering relevant topics and issues. Learn more about NABP’s CPE offerings on our website.
