If you’re a U.S.-licensed pharmacist, I’d prioritize CE that is ACPE-accredited, clinically relevant, case-based, and easy to complete on demand. Based on the current 2026 offerings, these are my top picks:
Platform
Best for
Why I’d choose it
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
⭐ Best overall for clinical pharmacists
Excellent depth in therapeutics, new drugs, antimicrobial stewardship, critical care, ambulatory care, patient safety, etc. Its CE Library offers 15+ hours of on-demand content, plus focused microcredentials.
Broad coverage including immunizations, diabetes, cardiology, infectious disease, pain/SUD, and pharmacy practice. Its library currently includes numerous free courses.
American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
⭐ Best for clinical depth/board-certified pharmacists
Particularly strong for ambulatory care, critical care, emergency medicine, geriatrics, oncology, pediatrics, and clinical reasoning.
Pharmacy Times Continuing Education
⭐ Best free/convenient option
Large catalog with hundreds of activities and many free programs; particularly useful for keeping up with new therapies and practical clinical topics.
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Microcredentials
Best focused learning
Short 2–6-hour programs designed around a specific skill/topic—great if you don't want to sit through long courses.
My recommendation
If you want one platform: go with ASHP. Its content is particularly strong if you're practicing in a hospital, health system, ambulatory care, or clinical role. The CE Library is self-paced, with activities generally ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
If you want to spend $0: combine APhA + Pharmacy Times CE. APhA currently lists free courses on topics such as influenza, COVID-19 vaccination, HIV therapy, CGM, and pneumococcal vaccination. learn.pharmacist.com Pharmacy Times has a particularly large free-CE catalog.
If you're trying to become a stronger clinical pharmacist: add ACCP. Its clinical sessions and case-based material are more specialized and are particularly useful for pharmacists pursuing or maintaining BPS specialty credentials.
A good ongoing CE strategy
Rather than trying to accumulate CE hours randomly, I'd do something like:
Monthly: 1–2 short ASHP/APhA courses on new guidelines or therapeutics
Quarterly: 1 deeper ACCP or ASHP clinical course
Annually: review new drug approvals, major guideline changes, immunization updates, antimicrobial stewardship, and medication safety
Before license renewal: verify your state's specific mandatory CE topics—requirements vary by state.
One particularly nice ASHP option is its Professional Certificates, which provide 12+ hours of structured, self-guided learning; current offerings include areas such as critical care, specialty pharmacy, and population health.
If you tell me your practice area (retail/community, hospital, ambulatory care, oncology, etc.) and state, I can narrow this down to the 5–10 best specific online courses available right now, including free options and approximate CE hours.
Several top-tier, ACPE-accredited platforms provide robust online continuing education (CE) and continuing pharmacy education (CPE) for pharmacists looking to stay current on clinical guidelines, pharmacology updates, and specialized care:
Pharmacy Times Continuing Education (PTCE) : Offers extensive online modules, live webinars, and specialized learning centers (such as obesity and insulin care) covering emerging clinical evidence and disease states. They also feature a convenient mobile app for on-the-go credit tracking.
PowerPak : A widely used, comprehensive platform providing up-to-date courses, live webinars, and targeted certification programs tailored to clinical practice changes and professional requirements.
PharmCon freeCE : Known for offering a blend of free and subscription-based live and on-demand accredited sessions, making it a flexible choice for meeting annual state board compliance.
ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) : Ideal for institutional, acute care, and health-system pharmacists needing advanced professional development, board certification recertification, and deep clinical updates.
To help narrow down the best choice, what specific practice setting are you in (e.g., retail/community, health-system/hospital, specialty) or do you need credits for a specific board recertification (BCPS, BCOP, etc.)?
