A professional imperative: Developing pharmacy residents as the next generation of practice-based researchers

In an important step for the profession, and consistent with ASHP’s overall commitment to pharmacy residency training and new practitioner development, in December 2014 the Society announced the acquisition of the Journal of Health-System Pharmacy Residents and its plans to shape that journal into AJHP Residents Edition. This issue of AJHP includes a call for papers for this new addition to AJHP, which will begin publication in June 2015 and provide a forum for pharmacists to publish the results of research and rigorous quality improvement projects they undertook during their residencies. A profession is defined as an occupation requiring considerable training and specialized study.1 Establishment of a university-based program of study is a hallmark characteristic of a profession, and (following that maxim to its logical conclusion) professions must have a solid research-based foundation. In pharmacy this research base includes the basic sciences, clinical trials, social sciences research, and practice-based studies that evaluate patient care delivery. Each of these domains supports our overarching professional mandate, as stated in the Oath of a Pharmacist,2 to apply knowledge, experience, and skills to ensure optimal patient outcomes. While the race to discover new medicines and test them through clinical trials in humans towers over the research enterprise, we cannot lose sight of the critical role of practice-based research in advancing patient care and optimizing medication use.