Graduates from the Idaho State University College of Pharmacy achieved a 100 percent pass rate on their national board exam this year. The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) is part of the licensure process for future pharmacists.

“I’m really thrilled that our students do this well,” said College of Pharmacy Dean Paul Cady.

“We’re usually above the national average,” Cady continued. “We’ve just had consistently high scores.”

The College of Pharmacy continues to be a national leader in pharmacy education, said Cady, testing consistently above the national average. The college also had a 100 percent pass rate on the NAPLEX in 2008. Only six out of 104 pharmacy schools in the United States reported a 100 percent pass rate in 2011.

This class of ISU pharmacy students had a pass rate of just over 96 percent on their other required exam, the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, according to the college’s November bulletin. ISU’s pass rate was also above the national average for that exam.

“This really demonstrates the quality of students we have and their capabilities,” said Cady.

Along with the college’s faculty and staff, Cady said their preceptors deserve praise.

The preceptors, pharmacists from around Idaho and surrounding states, “volunteer their time and their services to help teach our students,” Cady said.

ISU’s College of Pharmacy has hundreds of preceptors lending their time to educate the pharmacy students and provide valuable experience.

“Their training of our students is very important,” Cady said of the preceptors. “Their effectiveness shows in that we were able to get that 100 percent.”

Cady said this was a smaller than usual graduating class for the College of Pharmacy, which currently admits 70 students per year.

The students study for weeks prior to the exam, according to Cady. Additionally, the College of Pharmacy provides a two-day prep course for the students during finals week, right before graduation.

The 185 question test covers almost everything included in the College of Pharmacy’s curriculum, said Cady. It includes pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and therapeutics.

Cady mentioned some students from this graduating class are currently pursuing residencies to specialize in particular fields. This includes students who are now working at Idaho Drug Information Services at ISU’s Eli M. Oboler Library and at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.