2018 Proves to be a Great Year for Students who Graduated from NEOMED’s College of Pharmacy

Test results show they were most knowledgeable in Ohio; sixth in the country

Final results* from the 2018 North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX®) test reveal that graduates of the 2018 College of Pharmacy at Northeast Ohio Medical University ranked first in Ohio and sixth nationally with a first-time pass rate of 98.57 percent. Results are used by the boards of pharmacy to assess a candidate’s competence to practice as a pharmacist. The third-and-final trimester of test results was completed Dec. 31, 2018.

Most students across all pharmacy programs choose to sit for the exam during the second trimester, which ended Aug. 31. Any student from the 2018 graduating class who did not take the boards during the second trimester usually takes the exam during the third trimester period. Scores are then calculated into the overall first-time test taker passage rate for the year.

Seventy College of Pharmacy graduates took the NAPLEX® for the first time, resulting in a 98.57 percent first-time pass rate. The NEOMED graduates surpassed the national rate of 89.46 percent – by nearly ten percentage points ― and outperformed peers in Ohio, who had a first-time pass rate of 94 percent.

“Knowledge as a pharmacist can positively change a patient’s quality of life. And our students, faculty and staff are caring, hard-working and passionate people who understand that there can be no margin for error,” said Richard Kasmer, Pharm.D., J.D., vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College of Pharmacy. “Such preparedness can be attributed to the rigor of our program and the quality of the students who come here.”

NEOMED’s graduates have matched or exceeded the national rates in each of the past eight years and ranked in the top 10 in the nation for two of the past three years. The College attributes this success to the caliber of students it attracts as well as its curriculum, pharmacy residency track, and extensive field training through Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs), which bridges the gap from the classroom to the real world.

2018 is proving to be a great year for the College ― a recently conducted survey shows the workforce development impact that occurs when graduates practice at the top of their license.

“While it happens to be the same number, it is no coincidence that 98.6 percent of our Class of 2018 graduates are employed. That’s a pretty high placement rate,” added Dr. Kasmer. “And their hard work is rewarded.”

Ninety percent of NEOMED’s College of Pharmacy Class of 2018 chose to practice as pharmacists in Ohio.

The median salary for a pharmacist is $124,170.

NEOMED’s College of Pharmacy graduates also performed well on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination® (MPJE®)* tests. With a first-time pass rate of 95.4 percent, NEOMED graduates ranked 12th in the U.S., exceeding the national rate of 83.8 percent by more than 10 percentage points. They placed second in Ohio, and surpassed Ohio’s average rate of 91.9 percent.

The MPJE® tests a candidate’s mastery of pharmacy law.

About NEOMED

For more than 40 years, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) has worked in collaboration with its educational, clinical and research partners to successfully train health professionals and medical researchers who serve and impact the region and beyond. The University trains students in a team-based, interprofessional environment and offers Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees, in addition to master’s and doctoral degrees and research opportunities in other medical areas. www.neomed.edu.

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