Defining Excellence: Announcing the Results of the 2020 National Job Task Analysis for Clinical Pharmacy Roles

A professional certification is a public promise. It is a promise to patients, employers, and the entire healthcare community that a credentialed individual has met a rigorous, impartial, and meaningful standard of practice. At the Council on Pharmacy Standards (CPS), we believe this promise cannot be based on opinion, tradition, or assumption. It must be built upon a solid foundation of empirical evidence that reflects the real-world practice of the profession as it exists today.

The cornerstone of this evidence-based philosophy is the Job Task Analysis (JTA), often referred to as a practice analysis. This scientific study is the most critical undertaking for a high-stakes credentialing organization, as it directly links the content of an examination to the realities of the job.

Today, after a comprehensive, year-long research initiative that engaged thousands of pharmacy professionals across every state and practice setting, we are proud to release the key findings from the 2020 National Job Task Analysis (JTA) for Clinical Pharmacy Roles. This landmark study provides an incredibly detailed snapshot of the contemporary practice of clinical pharmacy, revealing the dynamic shifts in responsibilities and the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities required to deliver safe and effective patient care in the modern era. The results of this JTA will serve as the blueprint for the continuous improvement of our existing programs and the development of new, relevant certifications for years to come.

What is a Job Task Analysis? The Science Behind the Standard

Before delving into the findings, it is essential to understand the rigorous methodology behind this research. A Job Task Analysis is a formal, multi-stage scientific study designed to systematically identify the essential work functions and responsibilities of a specific job role. In credentialing, the JTA is the primary tool used to ensure an examination has content validity—meaning the test accurately measures what it claims to measure. A properly conducted JTA is the ultimate defense against an examination being arbitrary or irrelevant; it ensures we test for what truly matters.

Our JTA process is a meticulous, multi-phase endeavor guided by our team of psychometricians and a dedicated committee of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

1. SME Committee Formation and Domain Development: The process began in late 2019 with the formation of a diverse, 15-member JTA Committee. This panel of nationally recognized experts represented a wide range of practice settings, including academic medical centers, community hospitals, ambulatory care clinics, and managed care organizations. Their first task was to define the major areas of responsibility, or “domains,” that constitute the broad scope of clinical pharmacy practice.

2. Task and Knowledge Identification: Over a series of intensive virtual workshops, the SME committee engaged in a detailed brainstorming process. For each domain, they meticulously identified and crafted statements describing every significant task a clinical pharmacist performs (e.g., “Conduct a comprehensive medication history”) and every piece of essential knowledge required to perform those tasks (e.g., “Knowledge of pharmacokinetic principles”). This process generated hundreds of distinct statements that collectively described the full spectrum of the job role.

3. National Validation Survey: These task and knowledge statements were then compiled into a large-scale survey instrument. This survey was distributed electronically to tens of thousands of practicing pharmacists across the United States. We received over 4,500 valid responses, creating a robust and representative national sample. For each individual task and knowledge statement, respondents were asked to rate it on two critical scales: * Frequency: How often do you perform this task or use this knowledge in your practice? * Criticality: How important is this task or knowledge for ensuring safe and effective patient care? (i.e., What is the potential for harm if a practitioner is not competent in this area?)

4. Data Analysis and Blueprint Creation: The survey data was then analyzed by our psychometric team. By combining the ratings for frequency and criticality, we can generate a weighted importance score for every single task and piece of knowledge. This analysis definitively identifies the most essential competencies for the profession. It is this final, data-driven hierarchy of knowledge and skills that forms the examination blueprint, ensuring that the content of our certifications is a direct reflection of the validated realities of the practice.

“The JTA is the single most important activity we undertake to ensure our certification programs are fair, relevant, and legally defensible,” says our Director of Psychometrics and Research. “It allows us to confidently state that our examinations measure what matters most for competent practice, because the profession itself has told us what that is.”

Executive Summary of Key Findings

The 2020 JTA provided a wealth of data, revealing a profession that is more integrated, technologically adept, and clinically sophisticated than ever before. Several major themes emerged that will have a lasting impact on how we view and credential clinical pharmacy practice:

• The Rapid Integration of Data and Technology: Pharmacists are no longer just users of technology but are increasingly expected to be interpreters and managers of clinical data to guide patient care.

• The Blurring Lines Between Clinical and Operational Roles: Even for pharmacists in highly clinical-facing roles, a strong understanding of operational, financial, and managerial principles is now considered a critical competency.

• Advanced Communication as a Core Clinical Skill: The data unequivocally shows that advanced “soft skills,” such as motivational interviewing and health literacy assessment, are now rated as highly critical as traditional pharmacotherapeutic knowledge.

• The Solidification of New Care Models: The JTA captured the dramatic acceleration of telehealth and remote care models, cementing them as a permanent fixture of pharmacy practice.

• The Pharmacist’s Expanding Role in Population Health: The analysis revealed a significant shift from a purely individual patient focus to a broader responsibility for managing the health of entire patient panels and populations.

Deep Dive: Five Major Trends Shaping Clinical Pharmacy Practice

Trend 1: The Rise of the Pharmacist as a Population Health Strategist

A clear and powerful trend in the 2020 data was the expanding role of pharmacists beyond individual patient encounters toward managing the health of entire populations. The tasks and knowledge related to population health strategies received significantly higher criticality ratings than in any previous analysis. For example, 78% of clinical pharmacist respondents reported that they regularly use patient registries or data analytics to identify at-risk individuals for targeted interventions, such as those with uncontrolled A1c levels or those overdue for preventative screenings. Furthermore, “Knowledge of public health principles and social determinants of health” was rated as ‘critical’ or ‘very critical’ by over 80% of respondents. This indicates a fundamental shift in the definition of clinical care, where proactively managing the health of a group is now considered a core competency. This finding strongly validates the need for our Certified Public Health Pharmacist (CPHP) credential and informs our development of future programs focused on population health analytics.

Trend 2: Technology and Data Analytics as Core Competencies

The 2020 JTA confirms that proficiency with technology is no longer a peripheral skill; it is central to modern practice. While familiarity with electronic health records (EHRs) was expected, the data revealed a much deeper integration. Tasks such as “Utilize clinical decision support (CDS) tools to optimize medication therapy” and “Interpret data from patient-worn devices (e.g., continuous glucose monitors)” were rated as highly frequent and critical. This suggests that pharmacists are increasingly expected to be sophisticated data interpreters. This trend directly supports the critical relevance of our recently launched certifications in health informatics, such as the Certified Pharmacy Informatics Analyst (CPIA) and the Certified EHR Optimization Pharmacist (CEOP), and signals that a baseline level of data literacy is becoming a universal requirement for all clinical pharmacists.

Trend 3: The Blurring Lines Between Clinical and Operational Excellence

Perhaps one of the most surprising and significant findings from this JTA was the high importance placed on operational and managerial skills, even by respondents who identified as 100% clinical-facing. Tasks related to the business and operational side of pharmacy received strikingly high criticality ratings. For example, “Contribute to formulary management decisions based on clinical evidence and cost-containment principles” was rated as ‘highly critical’ by over 85% of health-system respondents. Similarly, knowledge of medication-use evaluation (MUE) processes, understanding of billing and reimbursement models, and even awareness of supply chain logistics were all identified as important for day-to-day clinical practice. This powerful data provides a clear mandate that clinical success is inextricably linked to operational understanding. These findings have been the primary driver behind the development of our upcoming Pharmacy Operations & Management portfolio, which will create a pathway to validate these essential, yet often overlooked, competencies.

Trend 4: Advanced Communication and “Soft Skills” as Critical Competencies

This JTA makes it clear that so-called “soft skills” are, in fact, core clinical competencies. The highest criticality ratings in the entire survey were consistently assigned to tasks involving complex communication. Tasks such as “Utilize motivational interviewing techniques to address medication non-adherence” and “Assess a patient’s health literacy and adapt communication accordingly” were rated as more critical to safe practice than many traditional pharmacotherapeutic knowledge statements. This data powerfully underscores that what a pharmacist knows is only as valuable as their ability to communicate it effectively and empathetically to patients and other providers.

“As an SME on the JTA committee, this finding was so validating,” one member shared. “We’ve always known that how we talk to patients is as important as what we know, but to see it so clearly reflected in the national data is a major step forward. It confirms that credentials like the Certified Behavioral Health Pharmacist (CBHP) are assessing one of the most vital skills in our profession.”

Trend 5: The Solidification of Telehealth and Remote Care Models

Conducted throughout 2020, this JTA was uniquely positioned to capture the historic and rapid shift to remote care models spurred by the pandemic. The data reflects a profession that adapted with incredible speed. Tasks related to telehealth saw the single largest increase in frequency ratings compared to any prior analysis. “Provide comprehensive patient counseling via a telehealth platform (video or phone)” and “Perform medication reconciliation for a patient being discharged remotely” quickly became established, high-frequency tasks. This powerful, real-time data provided the definitive validation for our launch of the Certified Telepharmacy Pharmacist (CTP) and Certified Remote Order Verification Pharmacist (CROVP) credentials, confirming that we were meeting a sudden and permanent shift in the landscape of pharmacy practice.

How These Results Shape CPS Certification Programs

The ultimate purpose of this extensive research is to translate the findings into fair and relevant examinations. The weighted importance scores generated from the JTA data are used to create a detailed examination blueprint. This blueprint dictates the precise number of questions on the exam that will be dedicated to each domain, ensuring a direct and defensible link between the test content and the reality of the job.

Simplified Examination Blueprint: Clinical Pharmacy

Domain 1: Patient-Centered Care and Assessment (35%)

Domain 2: Evidence-Based Therapeutic Management (30%)

Domain 3: Population Health and Systems Management (20%)

Domain 4: Professionalism and Interprofessional Collaboration (5%)

This data-driven process is our unwavering commitment to you. It ensures that when you prepare for a CPS examination, you are studying what matters most. It guarantees that when you earn a CPS credential, it is a true and meaningful reflection of the competencies required for excellence in your field.

A Commitment to an Evidence-Based Future

The release of these findings is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the pharmacy profession. We extend our deepest gratitude to the thousands of pharmacists who took the time to participate in our survey and to the dedicated Subject Matter Experts who guided this process.

A Job Task Analysis is not a one-time event; it is a continuous cycle of inquiry and validation. As the profession evolves, so too will our research. Planning is already underway for our next major JTA cycle, which will focus on the expanding roles of pharmacists in specialty, regulatory, and compliance areas. By keeping our finger on the pulse of the profession, we can ensure that CPS certifications remain the gold standard, today and tomorrow.