Assessing quality in pharmacy education in an era of rapid expansion.

OBJECTIVES

To describe measures used to evaluate the quality of U.S. pharmacy graduates in an era of rapid increases in the number of pharmacy colleges and schools (CS) and students and to assess if the expansion has influenced such measures.

SETTING

United States.

PRACTICE INNOVATION

Institutional research used by CS and the pharmacy accrediting organization in evaluating the knowledge, skills, and abilities of pharmacy graduates.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Scores on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and survey data from CS graduates, faculty, and preceptors.

RESULTS

Mean first-time NAPLEX pass rates over time are comparable for older and newer CS and for main versus branch campuses. Graduates, faculty, and preceptor survey results affirm that faculty, preceptors, and students perceive the quality of pharmacy education to be very high.

CONCLUSION

The increase in pharmacy programs and graduates has not thus far affected educational quality based on available objective and subjective measures.