Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, USA.
Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, USA.
Am J Pharm Educ. 2024 Sep;88(9):101255. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpe.2024.101255. Epub 2024 Jul 30.
Pharmacist licensure exam first-time pass rates have declined for several years. Predictors of licensure exam performance, including the Pharmacy College Admission Test, are no longer required, necessitating alternative strategies. Our aim is to assess the relationship between numerical scores on advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) exams and pharmacist licensure exams first-time pass rates.
We conducted a single-center, retrospective, observational analysis. APPE examination results between May 2020 and November 2023 were analyzed for association with licensure information from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. Exam scores were collected for student cohorts graduating from 2021 to 2022 as study cohort data. Correlation between exam scores and probability of successful licensure was assessed using logistic regression. A classification and regression tree analysis identified the most significant threshold. Predictive ability of the best-fit model was prospectively validated using the 2023 graduate cohort.
The overall licensure success rate was 80.6% for the study cohort (2021-2022, n = 206). Exam scores were well correlated to the likelihood of licensing success. The most significant threshold was 77.8%. The success rate was 82.5% vs 16.7% for those scoring above and below the threshold, respectively. The observed and predicted licensure success rates were 91.0% and 88.8%, respectively, in the validation cohort (2023, n = 89). The positive and negative prediction values were 94.9% and 40.0%, respectively.
The performances on APPE exams were reasonable in predicting the first-time licensure success rate for a graduating class. Our assessment appears promising as a risk-stratification tool for students in gaining successful pharmacist licensure.
药师执照考试的首次通过率多年来一直在下降。包括药学入学考试在内的执照考试表现的预测因素已不再需要，因此需要替代策略。我们的目的是评估高级药学实践经验（APPE）考试的数字分数与药师执照考试首次通过率之间的关系。
我们进行了一项单中心、回顾性、观察性分析。分析了 2020 年 5 月至 2023 年 11 月期间的 APPE 考试成绩与德克萨斯州药剂师委员会的执照信息之间的关联。为研究队列数据收集了 2021 年至 2022 年毕业的学生队列的考试成绩。使用逻辑回归评估考试成绩与成功获得执照的概率之间的相关性。分类回归树分析确定了最重要的阈值。使用 2023 届毕业生队列对最佳拟合模型的预测能力进行了前瞻性验证。
研究队列（2021-2022 年，n=206）的总体执照成功率为 80.6%。考试成绩与获得执照的可能性密切相关。最重要的阈值为 77.8%。得分高于和低于阈值的成功率分别为 82.5%和 16.7%。在验证队列（2023 年，n=89）中，观察到的和预测的执照成功率分别为 91.0%和 88.8%。阳性和阴性预测值分别为 94.9%和 40.0%。
APPE 考试的表现可以合理预测一个毕业班级的首次执照考试成功率。我们的评估似乎是一种有前途的风险分层工具，可帮助学生成功获得药师执照。
