Thursday, May 20, 2010

An Important Message To This Year's Graduating Class From The National Association Of Boards Of Pharmacy.

Greetings,

We are writing today to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of you on achieving your dream of completing a pharmacy education. Today's health care environment will provide no shortage of challenges as you pursue your new career in what was formerly the most trusted profession in America. We would like to encourage you though, to see each challenge not as a barrier, but as an as an opportunity. An opportunity to adapt, conform and be recast into the mold that today's marketplace demands of the modern pharmacist. With that in mind, we would like to share with you the following exciting announcement:

We have totally re-worked the NAPBLEX licensure examination to reflect the state of the profession in the 21st century.

We understand the burden this puts on you. For the past 6 to 12 years you have been diligently preparing for the day you would be expected to show your competence in the fields of pharmacology and the other medication related sciences. However, today's practice of medicine is increasingly patient-centered, and we must realize that we will either meet the expectations of our patients or cease to be relevant.  That being the case, we are pleased to announce NAPBLEX 2.0, the new testing standard that will ensure we are meeting the needs of those we serve. To ease the transition, we are providing the following sample test. While obviously we cannot publish the exact questions that will be used, we are confident that you will find this guide  useful in deciding if you are capable of providing what will be expected of you throughout your working career:

OFFICIAL 2010 NABPLEX  STUDY GUIDE

1) Where's the bathroom?

2) How many refills do I have left?

3) How many inches should be left clear around emergency store exits at all times?

4) Is this on the four-dollar list?

5) When you said the tissue paper was on my right, did you mean this side?

6) I can't find it.

7) Why do I have to sign?

8) Ten dollars? Didn't you bill my insurance?

9) Huh?

10) This label says to take 2 tablets every 6 hours, how many should I take?

11) So I could just take 4 tablets now, right?

12) What?

13) Is this antibiotic any good?

14) Why aren't these yellow? Last time they were yellow.

15) BJ, a 54 year old white male, complains of lethargy, constipation, and depressed mood for the last 6 months. His skin appears dry and brittle and he insists on wearing a jacket at normal room temperature. Past medical history includes multiple episodes of deep vein thrombosis, currently treated with warfarin 5mg a day. TSH levels were measured at 7.0mlU/L. Suggest a treatment plan for BJ, including relevant monitoring parameters and precautions in light of current medication.

Wait. That question was from last year. Forget that last question.

In conclusion we would like to wish all of you the best of luck as you start your new work life. You will need it.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Drugmonkey... this looks like a question set for the pharmacy technician course. Of course though you forgot the question where a doctor's office send e-scribes out with 3 sets of instructions with a quantity of 1 for prednisone. You know the opld claravoyance test!

Unknown said...

Hahaha! I love it! =)

pillroller said...

wow DM I should take the NAPBLEX 2.0, I would ace it ! I could then go back to my current employer with my top score and request a store where I don't need by bilingual skills. I can then concentrate all my efforts on idiots who speak the same language because as we all know stupidity does not discriminate !

Unknown said...

Out of all those questions, I think #14 is actually valid. My mom takes a few meds for her MS issues. If one of her medicines was suddenly a different color, I would ask.

*ducks*

Texas Pharmacy Chica said...

Oooohhh, pillroller - the realities of the job market is this:

They don't care.

If you somehow accepted to be the PIC or staff pharmacist at the most hated store in the district, they will not move you.

Ever.

Even if your brain-dead partner has forgotten to close the gate at night.

Even if you have to remove dead rodents from the cabinet under the sink.

Even if you are so afraid to lose your main tech that you ignore the fact that she deliberately never works with your partner. Because she hates his guts (and farts).

Unless, of course, your customer service scores dip down in the single digits, which is sadly easily achieved: "No, ma'm I don't KNOW where the gravy mix is. Why don't you have the cashier at register 8 page the store manager to help you????"

Thanks, drugnazi for another fabbo post.

Mildly Irritated Pharmacist said...

The test will cost $987 (and a $50 test center fee), because why not make money off of people who are 50-100K in debt from four years of school?

Anonymous said...

4 more questions to add to your test... these derived from my own pill counting action yesterday.

1. Are these watson brand norco's?

2. Why did you give me the real stuff?

3. Is my prescription done YET!?

4. My doctor said he sent it do the pharmacy electronically and it would be ready when I get here, why don't you have it yet?

Unknown said...

50-100K? More like 130K+. And I go to a public school.

Từ Thanh Giác said...

This is a "drug" store! Why can't I buy heroin?

Unknown said...

Of course you should include the question "Can you count?" from the drug addicts who SWEAR you shorted them on their pills. I have heard that a few times to which I reply.. I will be happy to prescribe fewer pills so you can tell right away if there are some missing..It usually shuts them up.