(366) Perceptions of Pharmacy Educators Regarding the NAPLEX Pass Rate Puzzle

Objective : To identify factors perceived to be associated with the decline in NAPLEX first-time pass rates from clinicians and faculty with or without a clinical practice site.

Methods: An anonymous 43-item Qualtrics questionnaire was distributed to faculty members in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Faculty were encouraged to forward the instrument to other clinicians. Questions were predominantly Likert scale items (1-5) and encompassed six domains: pharmacy school factors, COVID-19 educational modifications, testing factors, standardized testing, applicant preparedness, and student factors. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed. Categorical variables were analyzed with Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test as appropriate and reported as counts with percentages. Continuous variables were analyzed utilizing an ANOVA with post-hoc test utilizing a Bonferroni correction factor. Continuous variables were reported with means and standard deviations.

Results: In total 833 responses were analyzed. Respondents were predominantly female (65.3%) and white (78.9%). Most had a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, residency training, and were practicing as a licensed pharmacist within the southern United States. Respondents agreed that the decline in NAPLEX pass rates is a significant problem (mean 3.67, standard deviation [SD] 0.89), and potentially influential factors include student quality (mean 4.07, SD 0.867), student’s critical thinking (mean 3.93, 0.943), and pharmacy school admission standards (mean 3.78, SD 1.079). When comparing impact on pass rates, 15 questions showed statistically significant differences between groups.

Conclusions: Most existing NAPLEX research links objective, non-modifiable school or student data to pass rates. Identifying modifiable influencing factors associated with the decline in NAPLEX pass rates is crucial. This study fills a vital, urgent gap in the literature by identifying faculty and clinician-perceived modifiable factors for consideration.