Although an estimated ~90% of high blood pressure cases are likely to be classified under the term “primary” or “essential” hypertension, we still have a very poor understanding of the etiology as a whole. As such, primary hypertension is often labeled as idiopathic, which is medical terminology for no identifiable cause that we are aware of at this time. We do, however, have an inkling for several risk factors which are associated with the development of hypertension.
In this post, we will attempt to break them down using a mnemonic that helps tie everything together. Can you think of what might be a good mnemonic for this cause? If you thought stress, you would be correct. We’ve all experienced stress at some point in our lives. Imagine yourself in peak rush hour traffic, the time is now 7:45 AM and your final starts at 8:00 AM. Can you feel your heart racing? The point stands that stress can exacerbate blood pressure and we think it is an excellent way to outline the following known risk factors:
As you soak in all these risk factors and suggested lifestyle changes, remember to consider the following: hypertension tends to be a disease state where adherence to therapy can be particularly troublesome. This is understandable as hypertensive patients generally feel no different but may still be expected to take several classes of medications, follow up routinely, and tolerate various adverse effects of medications that can interfere with their overall quality of life. Therefore, hypertension is known as a silent killer and as with any disease state, a solid line of communication is vital to ensuring appropriate therapy and patient satisfaction.
References
Hypertension. IBM Micromedex. Truven Health Analytics/IBM Watson Health; 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. http://www.micromedexsolutions.com.
Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Hypertension. 2018;71(6):1269-1324.
The Multi-Prudence Jurisdiction Examination (MPJE) is a 120-question computer-based exam that uses adaptive testing response questions. For example, if you keep getting questions wrong then the computer will provide you questions that are statistically deemed “easier.” It’s important to note that of the 120 questions on this exam, only 100 are used to calculate your final score. The remaining 20 questions are pretest questions that will not count into your MPJE score, but you won’t be able to tell which ones are pretest questions and which ones are not. The total testing time is two hours with NO breaks during the testing session so it’s important to take note of time.
WHAT IS THE PASSING SCORE?
The passing scaled score is 75 with the minimum score being zero and maximum 100. The exam is divided into three major sections:
If you don’t pass the first time you still have 4 more attempts to pass you’re MPJE exam. A maximum of 5 tries per state to pass the MPJE is allowed. Hopefully you won’t fail the first time you take your MPJE but if you do, you need to wait 30 days per state until you can sit for the exam again to re-take. For the NAPLEX, it is a period of 45 days to wait before you can retake the exam again.
Note that if your eligibility to sit for the NAPLEX or MPJE is going to expire within 10 business days then you won’t be able to pay and sit for the exam so make sure as soon as you get your authorization to test (ATT) letter that you book your appointment as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT 2019-2020 UPDATES TO MPJE AND NAPLEX
The re-sit fees for the NAPLEX and MPJE are bumped up to $475 and $150 (YIKES that hurts!). If you miss your exam due to an emergency (whatever that means), then you can ask if you can re-sit to take your exam for a reduced fee of $170 for the NAPLEX or $100 for the MPJE.
SOME MAJOR POINTS TO REMEMBER:
All questions are answered in order so there’s no going back
Lots of situational questions
Online registration costs $250.00 per examination
You will need to bring two forms of ID at Pearson Vue
At least one picture ID with signature (i.e. Driver’s License)
Other can be credit card with signature
120 questions, 100 count towards your score
MUST complete 107 questions for examination to be scored
If you fail, you must wait 30 days to retake for the MPJE and 45 days for the NAPLEX
The MPJE doesn’t distinguish between state and federal laws, but answer each question based on state law
Any misconduct or inkling of misconduct is grounds for failure
Arrive at least 30 minutes early
Ensure to read EVERY SINGLE WORD!
They will try to trick you so make sure to answer the question they ask, and lookout for unusual words as triggers.
BREAKDOWN OF FEES:
Total if you passed the first time:
$250 MPJE ($150 + $100 application fee)
$575 NAPLEX ($475 + $100 application fee)
$825
Total if you failed but passed the second time:
$500 MPJE ($250 x 2)
$1,150 NAPLEX ($575 x 2)
$1,650
As you can see, it really adds up if you don’t pass the first time so we hope that you pass the first time! This does not include the stress and wasted time either since you can’t start working until your licensed. We highly recommend reviewing the https://nabp.pharmacy/programs/mpje/ site and reading over the NAPLEX/MPJE registration bulletin. They provide a more specific overview of the exam, scheduling requirements, and a list of core competencies for you to understand. Don’t spend too much time on the core competencies, but more on understanding the laws, as there are many situational type questions.
About RxPharmacist
RxPharmacist got created out of a calling to help a fellow classmate who failed his board exams, lost his job offer, and almost went homeless in not being able to gain employment as he had to wait 45 days before being able to sit and retake his board exams. Frustrated over the high cost of expensive study guides that were outdated, heavy in content, and weren’t focused on getting to the information needed to pass was the call to action that RxPharmacist has answered.
We are a group of volunteer pharmacists, paid pharmacy students, and mentors to our pharmacy profession driven by fellow pharmacy graduates and pharmacists just like you. We want to make a positive difference and disrupt the pharmacy test-prep industry but we need your help.
If you think you can help join our cause, feel free to shoot us over an email on how we can improve our services and products to help you. Even though this starter guide is basic in nature, we hope it can get you pointed in the right direction so you can start your journey in passing your MPJE board exams. Whether you are a fresh pharmacy graduate or a seasoned pharmacist getting licensed in another state, we’re excited you started your journey with us although it will be short-lived as we hope you will pass the first time!
We all understand board studying for gaining your pharmacist licensure is not easy. We don’t want the stress and headaches of potential failing you’re MPJE get in the way of the career you want.
Getting through pharmacy school is not easy. Second year was the worst and finally when you get to your fourth year you need to focus on getting a residency or fellowship program. The obstacles don’t stop there, you then need to finally graduate and take your licensure board examinations, mainly the NAPLEX and state specific MPJE exam. Those few months in between graduating and starting your residency, fellowship, or first job out of school are tough transition periods for pharmacy graduates as they need to pass their boards in order to start their first paid income job.
I’ll tell you how RxPharmacist got created. One of my pharmacy school classmates, Mike, received an offer and moved his family of three little boys from Florida to Tennessee contingent upon him passing his board exams. He called me sobbing at 2am in the morning, I could hear the desperation in his voice. Knowing Mike for the past 4-years during pharmacy school, I never saw him this low and said I will do everything in my power to help him. That same morning, I started creating study guides and working with my fellow classmates. After using them, he passed and said how this will help so many people who are struggling. That is how RxPharmacist got created out of a call of service that helps pharmacy graduates and pharmacists nationally as being one of the only companies to offer this service and helping over a thousand students pass their board licensure exams the first time.
A key signature among all of our services and products are serving and giving back to our pharmacy profession. We offer a unique, one-of-a-kind pharmacy graduate transition program to assist students during that time period between graduation and starting their first job and connecting them to preceptors and mentors to ensure they are successful in this saturated pharmacy market. Check out our internship page for more information. We create a symbiotic relationship with students ensuring everything we do, we put them first. Even with our customers, we ensure to reach out and follow up with them as we enjoy seeing the success of our students, and we take down our guides if they need to be updated even though we lose potential funds to help sponsor future pharmacy graduates. Think about this. Many companies don’t do this, they just reuse their content over and over, without updating or tweaking. We understand why, it’s extremely time consuming but someone has to do the right, good work that needs to be done.
We hope to continue RxPharmacist to continue to serve our pharmacy profession and disrupt the test-prep industry in creating affordable, high quality, and up to date guides.
