The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), a US-based non-profit organisation that accredits and certifies healthcare providers against recognised quality and safety standards, has opened a simulated cleanroom suite at its new headquarters in Cary, North Carolina.
The Sterile Compounding Training Lab is designed to replicate the controlled environments used for daily pharmaceutical compounding activities, allowing pharmacy professionals to practise procedures and demonstrate competency against United States Pharmacopeia (USP) requirements.
The facility comprises a simulation anteroom and separate hazardous and non-hazardous buffer rooms, equipped to replicate the conditions in which sterile compounding activities are routinely performed.
The space will support internal and external education, including practical training for ACHC and Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) surveyors.
PCAB is ACHC's accreditation programme for pharmacy compounding services.
The simulated environment will allow surveyors to train in conditions similar to those they assess during accreditation visits, helping to promote consistency in the evaluation of sterile compounding practices.
In June 2026, ACHC hosted its first in-person Sterile Compounding Certification Programme sessions in the new laboratory.
The programme combines pre-course learning with practical, in-person instruction, assessing participants' ability to apply accreditation standards in a simulated working environment.
Training activities include aseptic technique validation, environmental monitoring and the application of procedures under direct assessment.
The sessions cover USP <797>, which sets standards for pharmaceutical compounding of sterile preparations, and USP <800>, which addresses the handling of hazardous drugs in healthcare settings.
"Sterile compounding is one of the most technically demanding areas of pharmacy practice, and the stakes for patients are high.
"By giving practitioners a realistic environment to validate their skills, we are helping them build confidence, strengthen competency and elevate the quality of care they provide every day,” said Caroline Girardeau, ACHC Pharmacy Program Director.
Girardeau added that the facility would help pharmacy professionals gain practical experience in meeting increasingly complex standards of care.
ACHC has provided accreditation and certification services to healthcare organisations for more than 40 years, working across multiple sectors of the US healthcare system.
