California to Require NAPLEX for Pharmacist Licensure

October 14, 2003 12:00 am

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) is pleased to announce that California Governor Gray Davis signed a bill that requires passing the Association's North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination™ (NAPLEX®) for pharmacist licensure.

Bill Number SB 361, approved by Governor Davis on September 26, 2003, includes a provision requiring those seeking licensure from the California State Board of Pharmacy to sit for the NAPLEX beginning January 1, 2004. Details about the implementation of the NAPLEX will be available by November 1, 2003. Please check the NABP and California Board Web sites located at www.nabp.net and www.pharmacy.ca.gov, respectively, for more information.

"The California Board of Pharmacy and board staff worked hard during my tenure as board president to attain this goal [of requiring the NAPLEX for pharmacist licensure]," says John D. Jones, president of the California State Board of Pharmacy. "We are very appreciative of the constant assistance and support that the members, leadership, and staff of NABP have given to help bring about this achievement."

Currently, NABP's NAPLEX is used by 49 state boards and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands as a requirement for pharmacist licensure. The examination assesses whether candidates satisfy the competencies necessary for entry-level practice in the pharmacy profession. Offered throughout the year through a national system of test centers, the NAPLEX is a computer-adaptive examination in that it is based on the individual candidate's ability level.

Renee Renganathan