Length of advanced pharmacy practice experience and first-time NAPLEX pass rate of US pharmacy programs

Perceptions of Pharmacy Educators Regarding the NAPLEX Pass Rate Puzzle

OBJECTIVE

Identify perceptions from pharmacy faculty across the Academy concerning factors that may be influencing North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) first-time pass rates to highlight potential focused areas of further research based on common experiences.

METHODS

An anonymous 43-item Qualtrics questionnaire was distributed to faculty members from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Questions were predominantly 5-point Likert scale items (5 = very large impact) and encompassed 6 domains: pharmacy school factors, COVID-19 educational modifications, testing factors, standardized testing, applicant preparedness, and student factors. Demographic data and perceptions were reported with means and standard deviations (SD).

RESULTS

In total, 600 responses were analyzed. Respondents were predominantly female (66%) and white (78%). Most had a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and residency training and were practicing as a licensed pharmacist within the southern and midwestern United States. Respondents indicated that the decline in NAPLEX first-time pass rates is a moderate to large problem (mean 3.64, SD 0.891), and the top potential influencing factors include student quality (mean 3.99, SD 0.876), student's critical thinking (mean 3.90, SD 0.947), study habits (mean 3.74, SD 0.920), and admission standards (mean 3.67, SD 1.082).

CONCLUSION

The top four factors indicated by respondents as impacting the NAPLEX first-time pass rates were related to the student quality. This result highlights the importance of exploring issues related to pharmacy admissions and the need to implement effective strategies to support an increasing number of potentially less prepared pharmacy students.

Student pharmacists' perceptions of a NAPLEX preparation module in the pharmacy curriculum at one United States college of pharmacy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To investigate final-year student pharmacists' experiences of a new module for North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX®) preparation at one college of pharmacy in the United States.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

All student pharmacists enrolled in a new Spring 2023 module for NAPLEX preparation (n = 118) were invited to complete an electronic questionnaire and participate in a semi-structured interview. The questionnaire investigated the perceived helpfulness, grading, importance, prioritization, structure, and timing of the module in the curriculum, as well as assignment choices, confidence building, and time management using a six-point Likert scale. Semi-structured interviews investigated experiences with NAPLEX modules, time management, and course format. Questionnaire data were descriptively analyzed; interview data were thematically analyzed.

FINDINGS

Forty-one completed questionnaires and seven interviews were analyzed. Median scores for questionnaire items were six (denoting strongly agree) for three items, five (denoting agree) for seven items, and four (denoting somewhat agree) for two items. Twenty-three (56%) students desired an online self-directed (asynchronous) course structure. Seventeen (42%) students desired a mixture of short and long course assignments with a greater proportion of short course assignments while another 17 (42%) desired only short course assignments. Two themes were constructed from interviews: timing (when to study for NAPLEX) and structure (how to study for NAPLEX).

SUMMARY

Study findings indicated typically positive perceptions of a module for NAPLEX preparation among final-year student pharmacists at a college of pharmacy in the United States. Recommendations from students can be used to improve the module in future years.

NAPLEX Preparatory Perceptions from Recent Graduates at One College of Pharmacy

OBJECTIVES

The current study assessed how students prepared for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), and examined factors associated with first-time pass rates. In addition, updated information on student perceptions of several currently available NAPLEX preparation resources was collected.

METHODS

A survey was administered to 2022 graduates from 1 school, which collected data on student demographics, and NAPLEX-related items regarding when the exam was taken and how students prepared, including resources used. The association between first-time success (pass, no pass) and grade point average (GPA), timing of test date after graduation, effort toward exam, and number of hours studied was examined. In addition, student ratings of NAPLEX preparation resources in terms of usefulness, representativeness to actual examination, and monetary value were reported.

RESULTS

A total of 52 individuals completed the survey. Pharmacy GPA over 3.5, taking the NAPLEX within 60 days of graduation, and exerting moderate to extensive effort to pass the NAPLEX were all associated with higher first-time pass rates. All students reported using at least 1 RxPrep resource, which students rated highly and suggested the school provide as a resource for NAPLEX preparation.

CONCLUSION

This study found that taking the NAPLEX examination within 60 days of graduation, contributing moderate to extensive effort to pass the examination, as well as a cumulative GPA of 3.5 (out of 4) or above were related to success on the NAPLEX. Additionally, students reported high satisfaction with RxPrep resources.

Student perceptions of non-technical skills development during advanced pharmacy practice experiences

INTRODUCTION

In today's workforce, non-technical skills (NTS) are essential in determining an employee's ability to fit into an organization. However, it is unknown whether pharmacy students consider these skills essential to their future work or believe they are sufficiently trained. Therefore, this study evaluated student perceptions of the value of NTS as a pharmacist and their satisfaction with NTS training.

METHODS

A 45-item survey was distributed to 111 fourth-year pharmacy students at Texas A&M College of Pharmacy in March 2019. Given the diverse nature of NTS, this study collected student perceptions about the 2016 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standard 4 Key Elements: self-awareness, leadership, innovation, and professionalism. Results were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Approximately 84% (n = 93) of students completed the survey. More students perceived professionalism as an important skill to have, followed by leadership, self-awareness, and innovation. Similar results were shown with students' satisfaction with NTS training. Also, results highlighted that students' satisfaction level with their NTS training and their belief regarding their strengths relied on two factors: the number of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) where NTS training occurred and the amount of time spent practicing the NTS.

CONCLUSION

These data add to the existing literature to support NTS training in experiential pharmacy education. While APPEs should not be the only setting where these skills are practiced in the curriculum, our study's findings may further guide curricular priorities and assessment strategies for NTS in the experiential setting.