The University of Toledo was the only accredited pharmacy program in the country whose 2019 graduates achieved a 100% passage rate on their in-state pharmacy law exam.
UToledo’s 2019 PharmD graduates also had the highest pass rate among the seven accredited pharmacy programs in Ohio on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination.
The results were announced this spring.
“We are extremely proud of our graduates,” said Dr. Laurie Mauro, associate dean of academic affairs for UToledo’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Both of these exams were made significantly more challenging in recent years. Our students’ success speaks to their preparedness to practice pharmacy and the excellent instruction they’re getting at UToledo.”
The Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) tests students’ knowledge of federal and state laws. The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) measures a student’s knowledge of pharmacy practice. Both must be passed before a graduate can begin working as a licensed pharmacist.
UToledo’s first-attempt pass rate on the NAPLX was 95.7%, which not only was best in the state, but 23rd in the country out of 133 accredited programs.
All 76 doctor of pharmacy practice graduates passed the MPJE on their first attempt. The next best program on the MPJE recorded a 97.4% pass rate.
Mauro credited Dr. Anthony Pattin, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, for preparing students for the law exam. Though it’s only a small part of their curriculum, students need to effectively know the entire Ohio pharmacy law book.
“It’s a one-credit-hour course,” Pattin said of the Pharmacy Jurisprudence and Ethics class. “There’s no way I can teach them all the laws, so what’s really important for me is that they get used to reading the law. We cover the really important things, but some of the small nuances they may have to learn on their own. I structure the class in a way to give them practice in doing that. It gives them confidence that they can read this stuff, and as they progress, they get better.”
Further evidence of the strength of the UToledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ programs recently came from U.S. News & World Report, which ranked the college’s pharmacy graduate program at No. 57 in the county in the 2021 Best Graduate Schools list, up three spots from the prior year.
