Certification

About Certification
The Certification Board for the American Society of Medication Safety Officers was developed to oversee the comprehensive credentialing process for medication safety specialists. The board’s primary responsibility is the development and administration of an evidence-based examination that provides candidates with a process by which they can demonstrate their competency in medication safety. The Board Certified Medication Safety Specialist (BCMSS) credential is maintained on a three-year cycle of re-examination ans strives to:
-Establish core competency domains and sets an expected proficiency level.
-Gives medication safety specialists a means to demonstrate their proficiency and skill.
-Validates a candidate’s medication safety knowledge and skill set for employers.

Who Should Become Certified?
The Board Certified Medication Safety Specialist (BCMSS) credential distinguishes health care professionals who meet the competency requirements in medications safety. Candidates may include nurses, pharmacists, physicians, risk managers, and other professionals with oversight of medication safety activities.

Eligibility
Individuals from across the health care spectrum may sit for the Board Certified Medication Safety Specialist (BCMSS) examination provided they possess a baseline knowledge, experience, and a commitment to improving the medication safety.

Candidates for the BCMSS credential must possess academic and professional experience at one of the following levels:
-Baccalaureate degree or higher plus 3 years of experience (includes time spent in clinical rotations and residency programs) in a health care setting or with a provider of services to the health care industry
-Masters degree of higher plus 1 year of experience (includes time spent in clinical rotations and residency programs) in a health care setting or with a provider of services to the health care industry
-Doctorate degree (professional or philosophy)

The BCMSS Examination will be available at testing centers in the United States in 2013