PHARMACIST

Summary
Hawai‘i is slightly below (fewer
requirements) the national median in requirements for a pharmacist license. Hawai‘i follows the
majority of the states in examination and experience requirements,
however it is the only state that does not currently require continuing
education.
Requirement
|
Hawai‘i
|
Category Rank
|
National Median
|
OVERALL RANK (quintile)
|
4
|
|
|
Education
|
Graduation
from pharmacy school
|
Not ranked
|
Graduation
from pharmacy school
|
Examination
|
2
parts, no practical, no state exam
|
3
|
2
parts, no practical, no state exam. 19 states require a practical
examination, a state exam, or more than 2 exams.
|
Experience
|
1500
hours of clinical experience
|
3
|
1500
hours. 37 states require 1500 hours of clinical experience.
|
Fees
|
$240
|
2
|
$221
|
Continuing
Education
|
None. Hawai‘i is the only
state that does not currently require continuing education. Continuing
education will be required beginning in 2006.
|
5
|
15 hours
per year
|
Reciprocity
or Endorsement
|
Yes
|
3
|
Yes. All
50 states have some form of reciprocity or endorsement.
|
Note on Pharmacist
ranking:
1 = most difficult, most requirements, highest fees.
5 = least difficult, fewest requirements, lowest fees.
Education: As all states require
graduation from an accredited college of pharmacy, no rank was assigned for
this category.
Examination: All states require passing the North American
Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and forty-three, including Hawai‘i, also require
passing the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence
Examination (MPJE). Additional exams required by a minority of states include
practical, oral patient consultation, pharmaceutical calculation, and errors
and omissions. The states requiring a practical or state examination, or
required more than two examinations were assigned a rank of 1. All other states
were assigned a rank of 3.
Experience: Thirty-seven
states require 1500 hours of clinical experience or internship were assigned a
rank of 3, while other states were assigned a rank of 5.
Fees: Rank is based on the cost of an initial license and an
annualized renewal fee. This reflects the cost of obtaining and renewing a license.
Continuing education: Only seven states vary from this
number. Hawai‘i is the only state that does not
currently require any continuing education, however Hawai‘i will require 30
hours each biennium beginning in 2006.
Reciprocity: All
states have some form of reciprocity or endorsement.
Sources: In addition state websites, we
referred to the 2005 Survey of Pharmacy Law, National Association of
Boards of Pharmacy.