By COLIN M. STEWART
By COLIN M. STEWART
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
Graduates of the University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy earned a dubious distinction last year: The class as a whole earned the second-lowest passing rate in the country on a standardized licensing exam.
The first graduates produced by the young pharmacy program — which opened its doors in August 2007 — the Class of 2011 earned an 80.25 percent passing rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination. That put them slightly ahead of the poorest performing pharmacy school in the country, at Lebanese American University, whose students earned an 80 percent passing rate.
A total of 104 schools across the country took the exam in 2011, and the average passing rate among them was 94.39 percent. In Hilo, 81 students took it, paying a fee of $485 per student.
The exam, created by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, is used to help individual state boards of pharmacy assess a candidate’s knowledge of the practice of pharmacy, according to the board’s website. Students must also take an examination in pharmacy law, according to UH-Hilo College of Pharmacy spokeswoman Maggie Morris.
Individually, she said, the students “decide when to take it (the exam), and, due to laws of confidentiality, we do not receive reports on who took the exam and how they did on the exam.”
College of Pharmacy Dean John Pezzuto and Academic Affairs Associate Dean Edward Fisher did not return phone calls made on Thursday seeking comment on the school’s scores, but according to emailed responses to questions from Morris, the graduates “can take the exam multiple times if necessary, but we’re confident that 100 percent of the class will pass.”
“All of the graduates have not taken the exam,” she wrote, “so, at this point, which is still very early in the process, we do not know that the pass rate was relatively low. We do know that 79 percent of the first graduates are employed in the profession. This means, at this time and without 100 percent feedback, 79 percent of our graduates have passed the NAPLEX. In addition, it means they passed another examination they need to take in pharmacy law.”
Morris added that the college has grown considerably over the last five years.
“… now we have about 500 students, faculty and staff. The College has started Ph.D. and MS programs as well as the professional Doctor of Pharmacy program. Unfortunately, the College does not have a permanent facility, and faculty and staff are still spread over four different sites. Once the college has a permanent facility, the program will be stronger and the ranking will be enhanced.”
Despite those challenges, she said, the college recently ranked among U.S. News and World Report’s top 5 of the 42 new pharmacy schools that have been in operation since 2000.
“This is the first program to have achieved such a ranking at UH-Hilo,” Morris’ email said.
She added that “the rate of success (for graduates seeking jobs) in the first few months (after graduation) is competitive with any program in the United States. Students have been placed in many prestigious positions throughout the Nation.”
Meanwhile, the Class of 2012 is preparing to graduate later this month and then take the NAPLEX themselves.
In an email sent to students in March, Edward Fisher, the college’s associate dean for academic affairs, referred to the exam as “The Ultimate Final Exam: NAPLEX.”
“The UHH College of Pharmacy takes the future success of all our students very seriously,” he wrote. “… the CoP is committed to supporting our students’ efforts to become registered pharmacists. But the effort must also be put forth from each and every one of you.
“Study hard while in class, and study hard when class is over. Do everything you can to help prepare yourself. As always, the CoP is open to any and all suggestions. Good luck on all your exams.”
Fisher also announced that the pharmacy school had undertaken a number of measures to ensure better results from this year’s crop of graduates. Among them would be an exam review scheduled for a week before graduation.
“This review has been revised, updated and expanded from the one previously offered in May 2011 to include different faculty in different specialties,” he said.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.