The Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination® (FPGEE ®) is an exam that is required as a part of the FPGEC program. The FPGEE ® is offered twice a year throughout the continental United States. Everyone who is eligible during the FPGEC application process can take the exam. FPGEE ® Exam Distribution FPGEE ® exam consists of 250 questions. These questions are divided into four content areas. Basic biomedical sciences – 21% Pharmaceutical Sciences – 29% Social, behavioral, administrative pharmacy sciences – 15% Clinical sciences – 35% Syllabus of FPGEE ® For those who are reading this article, I must recommend you to save this post for future purpose. Note all the points mentioned below which will help you in preparing for FPGEE ® Basic Biomedical Sciences – 21% A. Anatomy & Physiology 1. Structure and function of major body systems; integumentary, muscular-skeletal, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, nervous, endocrine, urinary, reproductive and body fluid and electrolytes 2. Molecular aspects of cell biology 3. Cell physiology and cellular structure and organization B. Pathology/Pathophysiology 1. Basic principles and mechanisms of disease including i. Inflammation and repair ii. Degeneration iii. Disturbances and hemodynamics iv. Developmental defects v. Neoplasia 2. Pathophysiology of disease states amenable to pharmacist intervention C. Microbiology 1. General principles of microbial concepts 2. Principles of infectious disease 3. Host-parasite relationships 4. Pathogenic micro-organisms of man 5. Inflammatory responses to infectious agents 6. Clinical aspects of infection D. Immunology 1. Human immunity and immune responses 2. Principles of antigen-antibody relationships 3. Molecular biology of immune responses 4. The Genetic basis for antibody synthesis, development, function, and immunopathology E. Biochemistry/Biotechnology 1. Chemistry of biomacromolecules (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and DNA) 2. Enzymology and co-enzymes and kinetics 3. Metabolic pathways to energy utilization 4. Nucleic acid metabolism including DNA replication and repair, RNA and protein synthesis 5. Recombinant DNA technology F. Molecular Biology/Genetics 1. Cell structure and components 2. Ion channels and receptor physiology 3. Mitosis and meiosis 4. Chromosomes and DNA 5. Gene transcription and translation processes 6. Recombinant DNA technology G. Biostatistics 1. Understanding commonly used statistical tests and their basis 2. Management of data sets 3. Evaluation of statistical results 4. Understanding of statistical versus clinical significance Pharmaceutical Sciences – 29% A. Medicinal Chemistry 1. Physio-chemical properties of drug molecules in relation to drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) 2. Chemical basis and pharmacology and therapeutics 3. Fundamental pharmacophores for drugs used to treat disease 4. Structure-activity relationships in relation to drug-target interactions 5. Chemical pathways of drug metabolism 6. Application making drug therapy decisions B. Pharmacology 1. Mechanism of action of drugs of various categories 2. Role of pharmacology in drug choice and the treatment of disease 3. Pharmacodynamics of drug action and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination 4. Adverse effects and side-effects of drugs 5. Drug-target interactions 6. Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-lab test interactions 7. Drug discovery and development C. Pharmacognosy and Alternative and Complementary Treatments 1. Concepts of crude drugs, semi-purified, and purified natural products 2. Variability of occurrence of pharmacologically active substances in plants and impact on regulatory aspects of herbal products 3. Overview of classes of pharmacologically active natural products 4. Dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, and herbals) 5. Alternative medical treatments 6. Evaluation of alternative and complementary medicine purity, bioavailability, safety, and efficacy 7. Herbal-drug interactions 8. Dietary Health Supplement and Education Act and impact on the regulation of dietary supplements and herbal products D. Toxicology 1. Mechanism of toxicity and toxicokinetics 2. Acute and chronic toxic effect of xenobiotics on the body including drug or chemical overdose and toxic signs of drugs of abuse 3. Interpretation of drug screens 4. Antidotes and approaches to toxic exposures 5. Functions of poison control centers 6. Bioterrorism and disaster preparedness and management E. Bioanalysis/Clinical Chemistry 1. Fundamentals of laboratory medicine and its importance to screening, diagnosis, and evaluation of patients 2. Clinical data relevant to disease state management F. Pharmaceutics/Biopharmaceutics 1. Physical-chemical principles of dosage forms 2. Biological principles of dosage forms 3. Principles of drug delivery via dosage forms (eg, liquid, solid, semi-solid, controlled release, patches, and implants) 4. Principles of dosage form stability and drug degradation in dosage forms 5. Materials and methods used in the preparation and use of drug forms G. Pharmacokinetics/Clinical Pharmacokinetics 1. Basic principles of in vivo drug kinetics (linear and nonlinear) 2. Principles of bioavailability/bioequivalence 3. Physiologic determinates of drug onset and duration 4. Drug, disease, and dietary influences on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion 5. Clinical pharmacokinetics of commonly used and low-therapeutic-index drugs 6. The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic interface H. Pharmacogenomics/Genetics 1. The Genetic basis for disease and drug action 2. The Genetic basis for alteration and drug metabolism 3. Genome and proteomic principles in relation to disease and drug development 4. The Genetic basis for individualizing drug doses I. Extemporaneous Compounding/Parenteral/Enteral 1. United States Pharmacopeia (USP) guidance on compounding and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Compliance Policy Guidelines 2. Techniques and principles used to prepare and dispense individual extemporaneous prescriptions including the dating of compounded dosage forms 3. Liquid (parenteral, enteral), solid, semi-solid, and topical preparations 4. Dosage form preparation calculations 5. Sterile admixture techniques a. USP Chapter 797 b. Stability and sterility testing and dating c. Clean room requirements d. Infusion devices and catheters Social/Behavioral/Administrative Pharmacy Sciences – 15% A. Health Care Delivery Systems 1. Introduction to United States, state, and local health care delivery systems and their interfaces 2. Social, political, and economic factors of the US health care delivery system 3. Principles that influence the distribution of pharmaceutical products and services 4. Role of public and private insurers, pharmaceutical industry, and managed care on health care delivery in the United States 5. Medicare and Medicaid 6. Indigent care programs 7. Incidence of and problems associated with drug overuse, underuse, and misuse in the US health care system B. Economics/Pharmacoeconomics 1. Economic principles in relation to pharmacoeconomic analysis 2. Concepts of pharmacoeconomics in relation to patient care 3. Applications of economic theories and health-related quality-of-life concepts to improve allocation of
NAPLEX: 11 Things a Pharmacist Should Know
NAPLEX (The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination) is an official exam created by the NABP (National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) to assist individual state boards of pharmacy to evaluate an individual’s capability and knowledge so that he or she may be given a license to practice. In this article, I summarize important information you should be aware of the NAPLEX before you take the exam. There is a total of 250 questions in NAPLEX. Only 200 questions are used to calculate your final score. The remaining 50 questions are pretest questions which are for future NAPLEX exam, that do not impact your final score. The NAPLEX is a computer-based exam hence it is a non-adaptive exam. You have only 6 hours to complete 250 questions. It means you have 1.44 minutes to solve one question. If you fail to answer all the questions and time runs out then all unanswered questions will be scored as incorrect. Keep in mind that the majority of the questions are scenario-based. Be ready to read all the medical records data or patient profile data to get the details required to answer the questions correctly. You will also get standalone questions. The NAPLEX tutorial is before you start the exam. This will make you familiar with the exam interface. I recommend you take the tutorial. Do not skip any question as there is no negative marking. You must answer all questions in the NAPLEX. You will not allow back to the previous question once you confirm your answer. NAPLEX has a unique grading system. It’s passing score is 75. The overall score range is between 0-150 You should be aware that 67% of the NAPLEX questions cover “Safe and Effective Pharmacotherapy and Health Outcomes” and 33% of questions cover “Safe and Accurate Preparation, Compounding, Dispensing, and Administration of Medications and Provision of Health Care Products”. If you Failed in your first NAPLEX exam then there are 45 days waiting period before you can retake the exam. Please consult with your board of pharmacy regarding waiting periods since time varies between state You can take the NAPLEX up to 5 times after failed attempts (if permitted by the board of pharmacy). If you want to know the process of registration as a pharmacist in detail then read the article How to Become a Registered Pharmacist in the U.S.
How to Become a Registered Pharmacist in the USA?
It is famous that becoming a registered pharmacist in the USA is more difficult than becoming a USA. citizen. The reason behind this is that it is a highly competitive industry. It is perhaps because the USA. is one of the driving forces that is pushing the global pharmacy profession forward. Pharmacists in the USA are among the highest-paid pharmacists in the world. They are earning an average salary of around $128,570, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pharmacist in the USA There are many other benefits of becoming a pharmacist in the USA which include Now come to the point. If you are thinking of becoming a registered pharmacist in the USA then carefully read the whole article. I hope the information provided in the article will help you achieve your goal. Do not forget to bookmark this page so that you can refer to it as you proceed on your journey. Two Ways There are two ways you can adopt if you want to become a registered pharmacist in the USA. One Way The first way is to gain admission to a USA pharmacy school that accepts international students. Second Way The second way is to secure admission to a pharmacy school other than the USA and get a special certification that allows you to practice in the United States. Requirements of Registration (For USA Pharmacy Students) The USA pharmacy students must meet certain requirements to become registered pharmacists. For your ease, I am enlisting these requirements in a logical order. 1. Getting a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm-D) Degree To get a Pharm-D you must study for two years as an undergraduate student and four years of graduate study. Frankly speaking, Non-U.S pharmacy students must meet the same requirements as the U.S students which include prerequisites and standard tests. I must recommend you apply through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) because it is the requirement of most of the USA pharmacy schools. Please visit the PharmCAS website to check which schools accept Non-U.S student applications. 2. NAPLEX Exam Clearance The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) conducts a 225-question exam known as the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX). If you are a graduate of a USA pharmacy school then you must pass NAPLEX in order to get a license to register as a pharmacist. This exam assesses a pharmacist’s knowledge in various fields like providing safe, efficacious, accurate, and competent pharmacotherapy. You must hold a Pharm-D degree to sit in the NAPLEX exam. 3. Getting a State Board License It is interesting to know that each USA state has a board of pharmacy. The responsibility of this board is to set requirements for a graduate pharmacist to get a license. Other than passing the NAPLEX and getting a Pharm-D degree you must also apply for a license in a particular state to practice. The requirements of each state are different as some states made it compulsory for a pharmacist to pass a state law examination. For example Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE). Other requirements include criminal record checks and appearance before the pharmacy board. Requirements of Registration (For Non-U.S Pharmacy Students) Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Certification clearance is mandatory for Non-U.S pharmacy school graduates. After that, they can apply for registration in the state board of pharmacy. Non-U.S. pharmacists must apply to the NABP in order to be considered for the FPGEC, which reviews foreign education and registration. 1. Educational Background You must be a graduate of an accredited pharmacy school to apply for the FPGEC certification. Other requirements include documents showing that you are a registered pharmacist and can practice pharmacy in a foreign country. 2. Evaluation Criteria The following documents are required for evaluation Official application including Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) Transcript Proof of Degree Translation of non-English documents 3. License Examinations Two examinations for non-USA pharmacists must pass to obtain FPGEC certification. A. Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL IBT) The TOEFL IBT, crucial for non-USA pharmacists seeking to validate their English proficiency, can be taken at any approved testing center worldwide. This exam assesses skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing English, providing a comprehensive measure of an individual’s capability to communicate effectively in an English-speaking environment. Non-USA pharmacists can schedule the TOEFL IBT at any point during their certification process, making it a flexible and accessible requirement for their professional advancement. Typically, pharmacists are required to achieve a minimum score of 89 out of 120, with specific minimums in each section, to meet certification standards. B. Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) The exam contains questions on basic biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, social, behavioral, administrative pharmacy sciences, and clinical science. There are a total of 250 questions and you must receive a scaled score of 75 or higher in order to pass. The test is offered twice per year. In the end, I would like to wish you all the best in your future endeavors! If you’re eager to advance your career, you might find our guide on How to Become a Registered Pharmacist in the UK particularly insightful and inspiring.