The UNMC College of Pharmacy has achieved the highest total score in the national Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) exam for the second time in three years. UNMC has been in the top 10 in total score every year the exam has been offered since its establishment in 2016.
According to a report by National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the PCOA is a 200‐item examination that covers content from four primary domains: Basic Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Social/Behavioral/Administrative Sciences, and Clinical Sciences. PCOA scores are reported on a scaled‐score metric for the overall examination and for each of the four major content domains.
The 2020 ACPE reporting cohort contained 14,110 students from 142 schools and colleges of pharmacy.
The College of Pharmacy scored highest in the nation in its overall total score and was above the mean on all sections.
“We really shine on the clinical component of it,” said Donald Klepser, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs in the COP. “Clinical sciences is where we are strongest, we are 50 points ahead of the mean on that. We have a good, well-rounded curriculum.”
Keith Olsen, PharmD, dean of the college, agreed: “I think it’s representative of the quality of the students and faculty of the College of Pharmacy that results in the high performance in national exams.”
Dr. Olsen noted that the college again had a 100 percent pass rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) this year. The UNMC College of Pharmacy has achieved a 100 percent NAPLEX pass rate in 20 out of the last 34 years.
Dr. Klepser said UNMC is not “teaching to the test” in preparation for the PCOA exam.
“We absolutely are not teaching to the test,” Dr. Klepser said. “That was a decision we made as a college right at the beginning. We decided that, a) we are not going to teach to the test. And, b) we are not going to create high stakes for our students.
“We just said, ‘You’ve been through the curriculum, give it your best effort.’ And this is the result.”
PCOA scores are not identified publicly by institution, but each school knows its score and can see where it stands: “Your school’s mean scores and associated confidence intervals can be used to gauge your school’s performance relative to national performance,” the NABP said in a letter to participating schools.
It is a continuation of the COP’s strong legacy, Drs. Olsen and Klepser said.
“It’s a credit to Gary Yee and Dean Fletcher before us,” Dr. Klepser said.
Congratulations!