The University of Hawaii at Hilo’s pharmacy school has been granted national accreditation for a community residency program.

The program allows licensed pharmacists the opportunity for post-graduate training in community pharmacy where they act as a liaison between the public, hospital and physicians.

So far five pharmacists have gone through the program. They include two 2011 graduates of UHH’s Hawaii College of Pharmacy, Tehane Ornellas and Erika Miyahira.

The five will receive retroactive credit for the community residency program accreditation.

The accreditation, which was granted for a three-year period, is necessary for the program to be considered a validated educational experience, a UHH spokeswoman said.

The program is similar to residency programs for graduates of medical school which involve additional training under fully licensed physicians and which are usually required for certification for medical specialists.

The pharmacy school’s three-year accreditation was granted by both the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American Pharmacists Association.

“Receiving a three-year accreditation was a coup for us because we’re so new,” said Anita Ciarleglio, assistant professor in CoP’s Department of Pharmacy Practice. “It means we can continue to concentrate on patient care while giving licensed pharmacists from all over the country the experience they need to get on with their careers and gives them credentials to compete for jobs.”

Spokeswoman Maggie Morris said the College of Pharmacy serves the entire state with faculty members based on each neighbor island.

Ciarleglio, the director of the residency program, is based on Maui where the UHH pharmacy program has been conducted.

Morris said the accreditation is broad-based and will allow the college to establish similar programs on the Big Island and elsewhere in the state.

Ciarleglio said the accreditation mirrors the one granted the Hawaii College of Pharmacy last year following the graduation of its inaugural class.

The UHH college is the only school for pharmacists in the Pacific.

In addition to the residency program, the college offers a variety of egree programs including a doctor of pharmacy, a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences and a masters in clinical psychopharmacology. It also offers a bachelor of arts in pharmacy studies for students enrolled in the doctor of pharmacy program.