Residency requirement for pharmacists providing direct patient care.

A residency requirement has been proposed as a prerequisite for all pharmacists providing direct patient care. This editorial explores the basis for requiring a residency, direct patient care offered by pharmacists with or without a residency, needs to increase interprofessional team-based health care, importance of distinguishing levels of pharmacy practice, role of pharmacy technicians, availability of residency positions, and future of pharmacy residencies. All PharmD graduates should be able to provide a certain level of direct patient care, including medication therapy management services, without completing a residency, and residency programs should be offered for complex levels of direct patient care in all practice settings.