SIUE School of Pharmacy class of 2019 during its pinning ceremony.

We are highly robust with our efforts to prepare graduates ready for the workforce and profession.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (PRWEB)
March 03, 2020

Graduates of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Pharmacy (SOP) class of 2019 have exceeded both state and national averages, boasting a first-attempt board pass rate of 95.83 percent on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam® (NAPLEX). These results place SIUE in the Top 20 of the 135 pharmacy programs in the country, and first among all programs in Illinois and Missouri.

The NAPLEX is a requisite component of the licensing process for pharmacists in the United States. Along with the NAPLEX, the class also achieved a 90.57 percent first-attempt pass rate on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination® (MPJE), which serves as a state-specific pharmacy law examination and the second requirement of licensure after graduation.

The graduates’ combined scores were the highest board pass rates of any program in Illinois or Missouri, and exceeded both the 2019 NAPLEX state and national averages of 84.52 percent and 87.95 percent, respectively, and the 2019 MPJE state and national averages of 75.31 percent and 83.58 percent, respectively.

“The class year may have changed, but our graduates continue to excel,” said SOP Dean Mark Luer, PharmD. “While not the largest program in the region, we are highly robust with our efforts to prepare graduates ready for the workforce and profession. Our faculty and staff understand that without student success, our mission would be unrealized.”

Considering all 11 graduating classes from SIUE (2009-2019), the SIUE graduates rank No. 1 among the eight pharmacy programs in Illinois and Missouri with a 95.85 percent first-attempt pass rate on the NAPLEX.

“These pass rates are a strong testament to the educational experience offered by our faculty and staff,” Luer said. “This sustained success is the result of incredibly bright students who have worked diligently to earn their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees. These graduates are quite deserving of the title, registered pharmacist.”

Today’s pharmacists improve patients’ lives through the medication and education they provide. Dedicated to developing a community of caring pharmacists, the SIUE School of Pharmacy curriculum is a model that offers students a unique combination of classroom education, research, community service and patient care. The School of Pharmacy’s areas of excellence include a drug design and discovery core; pediatric practice; chronic pain research and practice; and diabetes research and practice. As the only downstate Illinois pharmacy doctorate program, the SIUE School of Pharmacy is providing highly trained pharmacists prepared for the rapidly changing healthcare environment.

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