Background: In December 2024, the Hospital Pharmacists Association of Ireland (HPAI) established an Education and Research Specialist Interest Group (SIG). With the era of advanced specialism in hospital pharmacy upon us after many years of tough negotiations, we are reminded of the importance of postgraduate pharmacist education prerequisite to developing the skillsets required of advanced specialist practice. In addition to the recognition of an advanced specialist grade, the prospect of pharmacist prescribing is on the horizon. In their final report, the expert taskforce commissioned by the Department of Health to support the expansion of the role of the pharmacist recommended that “pharmacists be enabled to exercise independent, autonomous prescriptive authority within and related to the individual practitioner’s scope of practice and competence”.1 The report highlights education, training, and research as key competencies required for attaining advanced specialist status. Specific to research, the need for research conducted within Irish contexts to support regional and national implementation of taskforce recommendations was emphasised.1
Within the report, the indicative timeline for the introduction of regulations governing pharmacist prescribing in primary and secondary care is in 2026, with pharmacist prescribing in secondary care coming into effect from 2027.
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