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Iowa Pharmacist — Requirements & Free Practice

US-IA · License preparation

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Pharmacist License

Iowa pharmacist license issued through examination, NAPLEX score transfer, or pharmacist license transfer.

Licensing authority: Iowa Board of Pharmacy · Application information

Licensure by examination
Applicant Category
Applicant seeking initial licensure by examination.
Background Check
Complete a fingerprint packet and waiver for a criminal background check.
Education
Graduate of an ACPE-accredited college of pharmacy within the United States, or foreign pharmacy graduate with FPGEC certification and satisfactory completion of the required internship.
Licensure by license transfer (reciprocity)
Uniform MPJE
Applicant Category
Pharmacist holding a current and unencumbered license in a state or territory of the United States and applying through NABP's license transfer program.
Background Check
Complete the criminal background check process.
Prior UMPJE
An applicant who has already passed the UMPJE is not required to take it again.
Licensure by NAPLEX score transfer
Applicant Category
Recent pharmacy graduate who took NAPLEX in another state and transfers the score to Iowa.
Background Check
Complete the criminal background check process.
Education
Graduate of an ACPE-accredited college of pharmacy within the United States, or foreign pharmacy graduate with FPGEC certification and satisfactory completion of the required internship.
Score Transfer Validity
NAPLEX score transfers are accepted for one year from the examination date.

North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination

Provider
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
Format
Computerized fixed form
Exam questions
225 questions
Time limit
6 hours
Passing score
Pass or Fail
Examination outline
  • Foundational Knowledge for Pharmacy Practice (25%)
    • Pharmaceutical science principles and concepts
    • Pharmaceutical science principles and concepts: Pharmacology
    • Pharmaceutical science principles and concepts: Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or pharmacogenomics
    • Pharmaceutical science principles and concepts: Pharmaceutics
    • Pharmaceutical compounding
    • Pharmaceutical compounding: Nonsterile preparations
    • Pharmaceutical compounding: Sterile preparations
    • Pharmaceutical calculations
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Patient parameters or laboratory measures
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Quantities of drugs to be dispensed or administered
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Rates of administration
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Dose conversions
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Drug concentrations, ratio strengths, osmolarity, or osmolality
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Quantities of drugs or ingredients to be compounded
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Nutritional needs and the content of nutrient sources
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Biostatistical, epidemiological, or pharmacoeconomic measures
    • Pharmaceutical calculations: Pharmacokinetic parameters
    • Drug development processes (eg, clinical trial phases, emergency use authorizations)
    • Research design principles and biostatistics (eg, blinding, randomization, biases, statistical tests and outcomes, ethics)
    • Retrieval, assessment, and interpretation of primary, secondary, and tertiary resources
  • Medication Use Process (Prescribing, Transcribing and Documenting, Dispensing, Administering, and Monitoring) (25%)
    • Prescriptions and medication order interpretation
    • Prescriptions and medication order interpretation: Drug names and therapeutic classes
    • Prescriptions and medication order interpretation: Indications, usage, and dosing regimens
    • Prescriptions and medication order interpretation: Available dosage forms
    • Prescriptions and medication order interpretation: Prescription regulations (eg, boxed warnings, risk evaluation and mitigation strategies)
    • Prescriptions and medication order interpretation: Safety and effectiveness (eg, laboratory parameters, vital signs)
    • Therapeutic substitutions (eg, formulary restrictions, therapeutic alternatives, shortages, biosimilars)
    • Immunization services and documentation
    • Immunization services and documentation: Indications and scheduling
    • Immunization services and documentation: Contraindications and precautions
    • Immunization services and documentation: Storage and handling
    • Immunization services and documentation: Administration (eg, techniques, preparation, routes)
    • Immunization services and documentation: Adverse reactions
    • Medication handling, storage, stability, and disposal (eg, hazardous and nonhazardous drugs, controlled substances, parenteral medications, sharps handling, temperature control)
  • Person-Centered Assessment and Treatment Planning (40%)
    • Medication history, allergy history, and reconciliation
    • Health histories, screenings, and assessments
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors: Signs, symptoms, and findings of medical conditions, etiology of diseases, or pathophysiology
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors: Appropriateness of therapy (eg, medications, immunizations, non-drug therapy, dosing, contraindications, warnings, evidence-based decision making)
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors: Interactions (eg, drug-drug, drug-condition, drug-food, drug-allergy, drug-laboratory)
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors: Errors and omissions (eg, dosing, duplication, additional therapy needed, unnecessary therapy)
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors: Adverse drug reactions
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors: Toxicologic exposures and overdoses
    • Patient health conditions, including special populations and medication-related factors: Adherence
    • Therapeutic monitoring, plan development, evaluation, and modifications
    • Therapeutic monitoring, plan development, evaluation, and modifications: Therapeutic goals, clinical endpoints, and follow-up
    • Therapeutic monitoring, plan development, evaluation, and modifications: Safety
    • Therapeutic monitoring, plan development, evaluation, and modifications: Effectiveness
    • Patient education
    • Patient education: Lifestyle modifications and health maintenance
    • Patient education: Medication use, storage, and disposal
    • Patient education: Disease state management
    • Over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements
    • Devices to administer medications and self-monitoring tests
  • Professional Practice (5%)
    • Adverse drug event reporting and medication error reporting (eg, MedWatch, VAERS)
    • Public health initiatives and risk-prevention programs (eg, tobacco and nicotine cessation, antimicrobial stewardship, health screenings, opioid stewardship)
    • Social determinants and drivers of health
    • Ethical considerations (eg, informed consent, ethical principles, professional conduct and responsibility, patient confidentiality)
  • Pharmacy Management and Leadership (5%)
    • Pharmacy operations (eg, operational planning, risk management, regulations and regulatory bodies, technology applications and informatics, error-prevention strategies, medication safety)
    • Inventory and supply management (eg, drug recalls, drug shortages)
    • Quality improvement activities (eg, medication use evaluation, root-cause analysis, continuous quality improvement)
    • Mentorship and preceptorship (eg, providing and receiving feedback, delegation of work activities, preceptor roles)
Examination sources

Uniform MPJE

Provider
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
Format
Computer-based adaptive selected-response examination
Exam questions
120 questions
Time limit
2.5 hours
Passing score
Pass or Fail
Examination outline
  • Pharmacy and Pharmacist Practice (30%)
    • Practice of pharmacy definition (eg, scope of authority, scope of practice, collaborative practice agreements and other delegative authorities, limitations or restrictions on practice)
    • Non-pharmacist personnel (eg, supervision, scope, licensure, counseling)
    • Adulterated or misbranded medications (eg, medication recalls, expiration dates, counterfeit medications, emergency use authorizations, importation, Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA))
    • Federal regulatory standards (eg, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), essential copies of commercial products, patient-specific prescription requirements, anticipatory compounding)
    • United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards on compounding and hazardous materials (eg, beyond-use dating, competency training, environmental testing, record keeping)
    • Security of patient health information
  • Medication Use Process (Prescribing, Transcribing and Documenting, Dispensing, Administering, and Monitoring) (30%)
    • Requirements for issuing prescriptions and medication orders, including controlled substances
    • Requirements for issuing prescriptions and medication orders, including controlled substances: Validity of a prescription (eg, authority, content, corresponding responsibility)
    • Requirements for issuing prescriptions and medication orders, including controlled substances: Changes to a prescription
    • Requirements for issuing prescriptions and medication orders, including controlled substances: Emergency prescriptions and emergency refills
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Pharmacy and manufacturer labeling, including over-the-counter medications and patient education
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Drug utilization review
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Fills, refills, and partial fills
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Packaging and repackaging
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Counseling
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Transfers
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) requirements
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Recalls, returns, and reuse
    • Dispensing medications, including controlled substances: Drug product selection (eg, substitutions, interchangeability)
    • Administration of medications, including adverse event reporting
  • Regulatory Authority and Legal Obligations (20%)
    • Role of regulatory authorities, including authority, inspections, and discipline
    • Role of regulatory authorities, including authority, inspections, and discipline: Federal (eg, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS))
    • Role of regulatory authorities, including authority, inspections, and discipline: State (eg, board of pharmacy, department of health)
    • Controlled substances
    • Controlled substances: Inventory
    • Controlled substances: Record keeping
    • Controlled substances: Order forms and ordering
    • Controlled substances: DEA registration and power of attorney
    • Controlled substances: Theft and loss
    • Controlled substances: Disposal
    • Liability and malpractice
  • Pharmacy Operations (20%)
    • Licensures, registrations, and certifications
    • Pharmacy technology, including record keeping and automation (eg, e-prescribing, faxing, shared services)
    • Access, storage, handling, and security
Examination sources