Pharmacy Practice Division faculty Andrea Porter, associate professor (CHS) Susanne Barnette, assistant professor (CHS), and Casey Gallimore, associate professor (CHS), will serve as hosts for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) national tour that trains pharmacists to train their colleagues in administering point-of-care testing in community pharmacies. The “train-the-trainer” program is designed to expand the knowledge of point-of-care testing exponentially in the pharmacy community. In coordination with physicians and other providers, point-of-care testing empowers clinicians to use effective and fast technology to aid decision-making at the point of care to improve patient health through the treatment of flu, strep throat and other acute and chronic conditions. During the two-day training, participants complete a continuing education (CE) accredited certificate program, and then engage in the primary purpose of the tour – the “train-the-trainer” component that will enable them to teach the program. The NACDS national tour includes stops at several schools or colleges of pharmacy beginning with the University of North Texas Health Science, College of Pharmacy in Fort Worth, June 27-28. The UW-Madison School of Pharmacy will host July 11-12 with additional programs planned in Tennessee, San Francisco, and Florida. Developed by faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Ferris State University, the NACDS Community Pharmacy-Based Point-of-Care Testing certificate program complements pharmacists’ robust education. The program was designed for community pharmacy, academia and pharmacy-associated staff. It trains participants to administer a variety of point-of-care tests, as well as health and physical assessments. The accredited certificate program includes 20 hours of Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) credit, for those who successfully complete course requirements and assessments, including 12 hours of home study and eight hours of live training about disease states, physical assessments, point-of-care tests, collaborative practice models and business models. 
NACDS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.