The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) spearheaded legislation known as SB 493, signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 1, 2013. This bill recognized pharmacists as health care providers and established a new designation known as the Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner (APh).
In 2025, CPhA championed AB 1503 (Berman), signed by Governor Newsom on October 1, 2025, and effective January 1, 2026. AB 1503 modernized the Pharmacy Law through sunset review, formally renaming the designation from “Advanced Practice Pharmacist” to “Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner”, reflecting the expanding clinical authority and professional identity of pharmacists practicing at this level. AB 1503 also established a Standard of Care framework, requiring pharmacists to provide services consistent with the degree of care a prudent and reasonable pharmacist would use in a similar situation.
According to the California State Board of Pharmacy, “An advanced pharmacist practitioner is a licensed pharmacist who has been recognized as an advanced pharmacist practitioner by the board, pursuant to Section 4210. A board-recognized advanced pharmacist practitioner is entitled to practice advanced practice pharmacy, as described in Section 4052.6, within or outside of a licensed pharmacy as authorized by this chapter.”
- Board of Pharmacy — Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner Information: https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/applicants/app.shtml
- Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner Application: https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/forms/app_app_pkt.pdf
- AB 1503 (2025): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1503
CPhA has partnered with the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (USC Mann) to develop the Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner (APh) Certificate Program, an innovative training program that satisfies the certification requirement under Section 4210(a)(2)(A) of the Business and Professions Code:
4210(a)(2)(A): “Earn certification in a relevant area of practice, including, but not limited to, ambulatory care, critical care, geriatric pharmacy, nuclear pharmacy, nutrition support pharmacy, oncology pharmacy, pediatric pharmacy, pharmacotherapy, or psychiatric pharmacy, from an organization recognized by [ACPE] or another entity recognized by the board.”
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