NABP updates examination program
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. — The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and its member state boards of pharmacy are planning to enhance several of its examination and assessment programs to better reflect the evolving practice of pharmacy. Changes will begin in November 2015.
The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination program has recently undergone evaluations of its content and test specifications, test design and assembly, administration processes, scoring and passing standard. The new NAPLEX competency statements and revised passing standard will be implemented in November 2015. In addition, the NAPLEX will make a transition to a new administration model in 2016. At that time, the licensure exam will increase in length from 185 items to 250 items. NABP is also reviewing a proposal to move the NAPLEX scoring results to a pass/fail platform.
The recommendation to increase the depth and breadth of the NAPLEX came as a result of the national NABP Pharmacy Practice Analysis Survey conducted in 2014. Over 4,700 respondents to the survey — which included pharmacy regulators, practitioners and academicians — recognized the value of testing entry-level candidates on patient-centered, clinically based topics.
Due to the need for a national evaluation of foundational knowledge in the PharmD curriculum, and in compliance with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Accreditation Standards and Key Elements for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (Standards 2016) requirement, NABP also will be providing the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment to all students nearing completion of the didactic curriculum (i.e., third year or equivalent). The PCOA is the only nationally administered examination that covers the four foundational sciences in pharmacy curriculum as outlined by the ACPE Standards 2016 and the 2013 Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education outcomes.
In collaboration with its member boards, NABP also is moving forward with a communication skills assessment. NABP’s 2014 survey showed that pharmacist communication skills are important for safe and effective practice and that entry-level pharmacists deficient in communication skills could place the public health at risk. In response, NABP will develop an integrated pharmacist communication skills assessment that could be used by its member boards as an additional component for licensure beginning in 2018.
Rounding out the changes, NABP conducted a review of the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination content domains followed by a survey of pharmacist and pharmacy regulators. The MPJE domain survey addressed the key areas required for practitioner compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Recognizing the importance of quality control measures, sterile and nonsterile compounding regulations, and compliance with the standards of pharmacy practice, NABP has revised the MPJE content domains to reflect current practices.