[Posted Dec. 26, 2007]

FAMU Pham. Students Score 100 percent On Nat'l Licensing Exam

By Nikkia G. Ganey
Special to the NNPA from the Capital Outlook

   When students at the Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences raise their index fingers and say, “We’re No. 1,” they mean it.
    They have set the standard for pharmacy schools across the nation with a 100 percent passing rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination.
FAMU’s school average score of 119.15 exceeded the state and national averages of 118.77 and 116.00 respectively.
    The state passing rate was 98.22 percent and the national rate was 97.23 compared to FAMU’s 100 percent.
   “We are excited about our students doing so well on the exam,” said Dr. Henry Lewis III, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “This proves that our faculty is working hard to prepare our students for their careers.”
   The NAPLEX is an examination that is mandatory for all students who are graduating. The test is a standard examination created by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to help individual state boards of pharmacy assess an individual’s competency and knowledge so that he or she may be given a license to practice.
   “The exam is the equivalent to the Bar exam when you become a lawyer,” said Dr. James Moran, a professor in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “It’s an amazing thing that FAMU has set the standard across the nation.”
    This group of first-time candidates took the test between May 1 and Aug. 31, according to a report by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Dr. Henry Lewis III

    Seventy-three candidates of the Class of 2007 took the NAPLEX and all passed.
“We are very proud of the students in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “I applaud Dean Lewis and the faculty for doing an outstanding job in preparing our students. This is another example of how we have distinguished ourselves.”
    Says, Jeremy Johnson, a fifth year Pharm. D candidate, “This just proves why most students chose to come to FAMU for pharmacy. Only with the best education can you set the highest standards on a test like this.”

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