The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX®) measures a candidate’s knowledge of pharmacy practice. The examination is used by Boards of Pharmacy as part of the assessment of a candidate’s competency to practice pharmacy. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) publishes a competency statement that provides a blueprint of the topics covered in the examination. The blueprint offers important information about the knowledge and skills that are expected for an entry-level pharmacist. The NAPLEX® competency statement may be viewed at https://nabp.pharmacy/.
The NAPLEX® Review Guide published by McGraw-Hill has been organized around the NABP competencies and is designed to assist students in their preparation of the exam, stimulate critical thinking, consolidate key information, advance knowledge, and improve exam-taking ability. The textbook was developed and reviewed by pharmacists, faculty, students, graduates, and education consultants with a priority focus on the NABP competency statements.
I have taught a NAPLEX® review course since 2005 and have instructed thousands of students representing over 70 schools of pharmacy. I have been in a unique position to be able to talk with students from across the country and discuss with them what they need to be successful when taking the exam and as a practicing pharmacist. The input given was instrumental in the organization, development, and content of this textbook. As there are many ways to assess knowledge, there are equally as many ways to prepare for an exam. People are different and thrive in different preparatory methods. The development of this textbook was tailored to various learning and studying styles. Each chapter within the textbook contains the following sections: Foundation Overview, Prevention or Treatment, Case Application questions, and Takeaway Points. The Foundation Overview consists of a general overview of the topic, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and diagnosis. The Prevention or Treatment section provides a general overview and goals of prevention or treatment, followed by a focus on specific agents including indication, route of administration, rationale for use, and adverse reactions. Several chapters have incorporated and developed tables and figures for enhancement of the material in the chapter. The Case Application section is extremely unique and will provide students and graduates ample opportunity to apply their knowledge in each of the chapters. Each chapter contains at least 20 Case Application questions. The Case Application questions are based on the material within the chapter with a focus on the NABP competency statements. Numerous students discussed with me their need and desire to have a lot of questions, especially questions that can serve as teaching points. Therefore, each Case Application question is provided with a detailed answer section at the end of the book. For each question, there is an explanation of why one answer is correct and why the other choices are incorrect. This is a valuable tool that you can tailor to your specific learning or studying style. At the end of each chapter, the Case Application questions are followed by the Takeaway Points section. This section summarizes the key concepts within the text to bring together all the information you have studied and reviewed.