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

INTRODUCTION

The objectives of this study were to (1) report the length in weeks of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) of US pharmacy programs in 2016 and (2) compare first-time North American Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) pass rates according to the length in weeks of the programs' APPEs.

METHODS

First-time NAPLEX pass rate was obtained from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy public web page. The length in weeks of programs' individual APPEs (iAPPEs) and program characteristics were obtained from the individual pharmacy programs' web pages. Analysis of variance was used to compare iAPPE length and first-time NAPLEX pass rate and multiple regression was used to quantify the independent influence of iAPPE length on first-time NAPLEX pass rate.

RESULTS

The length in weeks was evenly distributed among four-, five- and six-week iAPPEs for NAPLEX testing years 2013 to 2015, although six-week iAPPEs have been preferred recently. The first-time NAPLEX pass rate was not associated with the total APPE length or whether the program used four-, five- or six-week iAPPEs for all three years and for the three-year aggregate pass rate.

CONCLUSION

Six-week iAPPEs were the most common, but not the majority among pharmacy programs. Longer total or individual APPEs did not translate into higher first-time NAPLEX pass rates. Length of iAPPE rotations can be chosen without concern that student pharmacists' performances on first-time NAPLEX pass rates will be significantly impacted.

Outreach training: the special interest group's report

Following three sessions at ADEE Annual Meetings, the special interest group on outreach training presents a brief report of its proceedings. Outreach, here, is clinical teaching away from the home dental school. After covering the diversity and benefits of programmes, the report considers different models and the relationship between contexts and outcomes. It concludes that: outreach provides access to additional resources; programmes prepare students for the demands of the profession; a programme's design should harmonise with both its context and its objectives; and, the educational benefits warrant the additional organisation involved.