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Analysis of Survey Results Leads to Increased Emphasis on Practice Issues in MPJE Competency Statements in 2011
Originally published in the August 2010 NABP Newsletter
Upon careful consideration and much analysis, NABP plans to implement revised competency statements for the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination® (MPJE®) in January 2011. These revisions resulted from an extensive review process, including the convening of a subcommittee to develop and propose revisions to the MPJE competency statements. Following approval by the MPJE Review Committee, the NABP Advisory Committee on Examinations, and the NABP Executive Committee, a validation survey was developed and piloted based upon the proposed revised competencies.
Distributed in July 2009, the survey solicited responses from more than 500 individuals including executive officers, members, inspectors, compliance officers, and counsel from all boards of pharmacy. In addition, with the assistance of the American Society for Pharmacy Law, NABP gathered responses from educators in pharmacy law and pharmacist attorneys.
A total of 169 individuals participated in the survey, with board members having the highest percentage of responses. Garnering reliable data from a diverse group of experts was critical to obtaining the necessary national response rate. (See accompanying tables for a summary of the respondents by affiliation and by district.) The individuals surveyed rated the three areas of competency statements:
- Area 1, which focuses on pharmacy practice
- Area 2, which covers licensure, registration, certification, and operational requirements
- Area 3, which covers regulatory structure and terms
They were asked to rate these areas based on two factors: criticality (seriousness of consequences) and frequency (how often an entry-level pharmacist must perform a task that requires knowledge of this item).
Survey Results
Outcomes of the survey showed a significant shift in the endorsement of Area 1, with an increase in the number of sub-competencies and a higher overall mean rating. In addition, respondents generally rated criticality of Area 1 higher than frequency in terms of its impact on public health and safety. As a result, a recommendation to redistribute the proportion of items in each content area was approved by the Advisory Committee on Examinations and the Executive Committee and a policy decision was approved to weight the criticality to frequency ratio as four to one.
With the redistribution of the proportion of examination items, the competency statements are more detailed. New competencies were added to address determination of a drug order’s legitimate medical purpose, notification of requirements pertaining to a pharmacist’s license to practice pharmacy, and identification of reasons and processes of disciplinary actions that may be taken against a practice setting. Much of the input received from the MPJE validation survey analysis displayed a similar trend to those of the recent North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® practice analysis survey, which showed an increasing emphasis on pharmacy practice and patient outcomes.
Setting the Standard
As with any examination program, a standard setting will take place to determine the passing score for the MPJE. Utilizing a scientific process and adhering strictly to testing industry standards, NABP will carefully select a demographically diverse group of subject matter experts including a variety of board members and staff as well as members of the MPJE Review Committee to serve on the standard setting committee. These experts will be asked to rate items in the examination in terms of what they feel competent pharmacists should know. Upon approval by the Advisory Committee on Examinations and the NABP Executive Committee, the new passing standard is expected to be put into effect concurrently with the revised competency statements and blueprint in January 2011.
Based on the results of the survey, the scope of pharmacy practice appears to be shifting. More and more, boards are emphasizing an increased importance of pharmacy jurisprudence as it applies to the practice of pharmacy and patient outcomes. It is imperative that the MPJE and all pharmacy-related examinations continue to evolve and remain consistent with the scope of pharmacy practice as it changes.
The MPJE was developed to assess the competence of candidate pharmacists in the area of pharmacy jurisprudence. Currently required in 46 jurisdictions, the examination is aligned with state and federal law and utilizes adaptive technology to select items for each candidate.
