Individual vs. Group Performance in Integrated Pharmacotherapy Courses as Predictors of NAPLEX Success.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if individual or group work in an Integrated Pharmacotherapy (IP) series in a pharmacy curriculum is correlated with passing the NAPLEX. METHODS: Gradebooks and syllabi from ten unique IP courses were collected for one cohort of students. Gradebooks were deidentified and divided into individual points earned and group points earned using point distribution information from course syllabi. Individual and group course performance averages (CPAs) were calculated for each student and matched with first-time NAPLEX pass data. RESULTS: A total of 103 students were included in the final dataset. The average amount of individual work in the IP courses was 82% (72 - 100%) and the average amount of group work per course was 18% (0 - 28%). Students with an individual CPA one standard deviation above the mean had over 3 times greater odds of passing the NAPLEX than those at the mean, whereas there was no association between group CPA and passing the NAPLEX. CONCLUSION: Individual academic performance within IP courses was predictive of NAPLEX success, while group performance was not. This information, while limited to a single cohort at one institution, adds to the data of predictors of NAPLEX success. Pharmacy faculty members are encouraged to consider ways to hold individual students accountable for content retention in required courses to optimize information comprehension leading to NAPLEX success.