NAPLEX Practice Analysis and Determining the Knowledge and Skills Expected of an Entry-Level Pharmacist

To describe the results of a practice analysis defining the knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of entry-level pharmacists and the development of the resultant North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) content outline (CO).

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy convened a representative panel of pharmacists (n = 14) to create a practice analysis document and CO. Panel experience, current NAPLEX competency statements, and guiding documents were used in the process. A survey was administered to a large sample of practicing pharmacists to validate the CO and determine final weights for each domain. Respondents selected a relevance rating for the lowest content domain level on a four-point Likert scale (1 = not at all relevant; 4 = very relevant). Survey results were used to develop the final CO, which was approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to guide NAPLEX development.

A practice analysis document was created listing 5 content domains along with the tasks, knowledge, and skills associated with each domain. A total of 1950 pharmacists fully or partially completed the survey and provided relevance ratings for the lowest level of each content domain (n = 54). The mean relevance rating was 3.25 (SD = 0.42; range 2.22 to 3.85), indicating a high degree of relevance for each content domain to practice. A final CO was created, which is used to define content areas to be assessed on the NAPLEX.

A practice analysis process produced valuable resources for defining the expected knowledge, skills, and abilities for entry-level pharmacists. These resources can be utilized by educators to prepare graduates for the NAPLEX.