- Basic biomedical sciences – 16%
- Pharmaceutical Sciences – 30%
- Social, behavioral, administrative pharmacy sciences – 22%
- Clinical sciences – 32%
FPGEE Blueprint
The FPGEE Blueprint offers in-depth information about the four content areas covered on the test.
The FPGEE Competency Statements serve as a blueprint of the topics covered on the examination. They offer important information about the knowledge, judgment, and skills you are expected to demonstrate while taking the FPGEE. A strong understanding of the Competency Statements will aid you in your preparation to take the examination.
Area 1 - Basic Biomedical Sciences (16%)
1A Physiology- 1A01 structure and function of major body systems; as it applies to integumentary, muscular skeletal, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, nervous, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, and body fluids and electrolytes, cells in tissue
- 1B01 chemistry of biomacromolecules (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and DNA)
- 1B02 nucleic acid biosynthesis and metabolism
- 1B03 enzymology and coenzymes and kinetics
- 1B04 metabolic pathways to energy utilization
- 1C01 general principles of microbial concepts
- 1C02 principles of infectious diseases
- 1C03 host-parasite relationships
- 1C04 pathogenic microorganisms of man
- 1C05 inflammatory responses to infectious agents
- 1D01 gene expression
- 1D02 carrier proteins/membrane transport
- 1D03 mechanics of cell division
- 1D04 ion channels and receptor physiology
- 1D05 chromosomes and DNA
- 1D06 gene transcription and translation processes
- 1D07 recombinant DNA technology
- 1E01 human immunity and immune responses
- 1E02 principles of antigen-antibody relationships
- 1E03 antibody synthesis, development, function, and immunopathology
Area 2 – Pharmaceutical Sciences (30%)
2A Medicinal Chemistry- 2A01 physiochemical properties of drugs in relation to drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME)
- 2A02 chemical basis for drug action
- 2A03 fundamental pharmacophores for drugs used to treat diseases
- 2A04 structure activity relationships in relation to drug-target interactions
- 2A05 chemical pathways of drug metabolism
- 2A06 applicability to making drug therapy decisions
- 2B01 mechanisms of action of drugs of various categories
- 2B02 pharmacodynamics of drug action and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
- 2B03 adverse effects and side-effects of drugs
- 2B04 drug-target interactions
- 2B05 drug discovery and development
- 2B06 mechanism of toxicity and toxicokinetics
- 2B07 acute and chronic toxic effect of xenobiotics, including drug and chemical overdose and toxic signs of drugs of abuse
- 2B08 interpretation of drug screens
- 2B09 principles of antidotes and alternative approaches to toxic exposures
- 2B10 functions of poison control centers
- 2B11 bioterrorism and disaster preparedness and management
- 2C01 concepts of crude drugs, semi-purified, and purified natural products
- 2C02 evaluation of alternative and complementary medicine purity, bioavailability, safety, and efficacy
- 2C03 classes of pharmacologically active natural products
- 2C04 Science of dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, and herbals)
- 2C05 Dietary Health Supplement and Education Act and Impact on regulation of dietary supplements and herbal products
- 2D01 physiochemical principles of dosage forms
- 2D02 principles of drug delivery via dosage forms (eg, liquid, solid, semi-solid, controlled release, patches, and implants)
- 2D03 principles of dosage form stability and drug degradation in dosage forms
- 2D04 materials and methods used in preparation and use of drug forms
- 2E01 biological principles of dosage forms
- 2E02 basic principles of in vivo drug kinetics (linear and nonlinear)
- 2E03 principles of bioavailability/bioequivalence
- 2E04 physiologic determinates of drug onset and duration
- 2E05 drug, disease, and dietary influences on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
- 2E06 the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic interface
- 2F01 genetic basis for disease and drug action
- 2F02 genetic basis for alteration and drug metabolism
- 2F03 genome and proteomic principles in relation to disease and drug development
- 2F04 genetic basis for individualizing drug doses
- 2G01 United States Pharmacopeia guidance on compounding and FDA Compliance Policy Guidelines
- 2G02 techniques and principles used to prepare and dispense individual extemporaneous prescriptions including dating of compounded dosage forms
- 2G03 extemporaneous liquid (parenteral, enteral), solid, semi-solid, and topical preparations
- 2G04 dosage form preparation calculations
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2G05 sterile admixture techniques
- a United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Chapter <797>
- b stability and sterility testing and dating
- c clean room requirements
- d infusion devices and catheters
Area 3 – Social/Behavioral/Administrative Sciences (22%)
3A Health Care and Public Health Delivery Systems- 3A01 introduction to United States, state, and local health care delivery systems and their interfaces and how they compare to those in other industrialized countries
- 3A02 social, political, and economic factors influencing the delivery of health care (including financing and reimbursement mechanisms, health disparities, reform, etc)
- 3A03 pharmacy and health care organizations (private and public insurers of third party administration, pharmaceutical industry, managed care organizations, PBMs, etc)
- 3A04 health policy development and evaluation
- 3A05 importance of involvement in pharmacy organizational, regulatory, state, and federal issues
- 3A06 conflict between medical care and public health
- 3A07 contributions of public health efforts to health status improvements (infectious disease control, chronic disease preventions, demographics, and social and physical environmental factors, etc)
- 3B01 use of pharmacoeconomic analyses (ie, cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-minimization analysis, cost-utility analysis)
- 3B02 applications of economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes to improve allocation of limited health care resources
- 3B03 general macro and micro economic principles
- 3C01 management principles (planning, organizing, directing, and controlling pharmacy resources) applied to various pharmacy practice setting and patient outcomes
- 3C02 personnel management – including leadership
- 3C03 managing goods and services (marketing, purchasing/inventory management, and merchandising)
- 3C04 financial accounting
- 3C05 risk management in pharmacy practice
- 3D01 application of epidemiological study designs to study drug use and outcomes in large populations
- 3D02 data sources and analytic tools that provide an estimate of the probability of beneficial or adverse effects of medication use in large populations
- 3D03 methods for continually monitoring unwanted effects and other safety-related aspects of medication use in large populations
- 3E01 administrative, civil, and criminal liability
- 3E02 a pharmacist’s responsibilities and limits under the law
- 3E03 the authority, responsibilities, and operation of agencies and entities that administer laws and regulations related to prescription, and over-the-counter medications
- 3F01 commonly used experimental and observational study designs
- 3F02 commonly used statistical tests and their appropriate application
- 3F03 evaluation of statistical results including an understanding of statistical versus clinical significance
- 3G01 principles of biomedical ethics
- 3G02 ethical dilemmas in the delivery of patient-centered care, including
- a conflicts of interest
- b end-of-life decision making
- c development, promotion, sales, prescription, and use of drugs
- d working in groups
- 3G03 research ethics
- 3G04 professional behavior (ie, professionalism, code of ethics, oath of the pharmacist)
- 3H01 patient counseling skills including active listening and empathy
- 3H02 assertiveness and problem-solving techniques, handling difficult situations – patients and other core providers
- 3H03 interviewing techniques
- 3H04 health literacy
- 3H05 cultural competency
- 3I01 health, illness, and sick role behaviors
- 3I02 principles of behavior modification
- 3I03 patient adherence
- 3I04 caregiving throughout the life cycle
- 3I05 death and dying
- 3I06 patients’ and other health care providers’ perceptions of pharmacists’ capabilities
- 3J01 safe and effective preparation and dispensing of medications in all types of practice settings
- 3J02 development and maintenance of patient medication profiles
- 3J03 role of automation and technology
- 3J04 continuous quality improvement programs or protocols in the medication-use process, including identification and prevention of medication errors and establishment of error reduction programs, technology of drug information retrieval for quality assurance
Area 4 – Clinical Sciences (32%)
4A Literature Evaluation – Practice Guidelines and Clinical Trials- 4A01 principles of clinical practice guidelines for various disease states and their interpretation in the clinical setting
- 4A02 integration of core scientific and systems-based knowledge in patient care decisions
- 4A03 reinforcement of basic science principles relative to drug treatment protocols and clinical practice guidelines
- 4A04 evaluation of clinical trials that validate treatment usefulness
- 4B01 fundamentals of the practice of drug information
- 4B02 application of drug information skills for delivery of medication therapy management
- 4B03 the ability to judge the reliability of various sources of information
- 4C01 pathophysiology of disease states amenable to pharmacist intervention
- 4D01 clinical pharmacokinetics/pharmacogenomics of commonly used and low-therapeutic-index drugs
- 4D02 clinical basis for individualizing drug therapy
- 4E01 promotion of wellness and nonpharmacologic therapies
- 4E02 disease prevention and monitoring
- 4F01 concepts of pharmacist-provided patient care and medication therapy management services
- 4F02 importance of and techniques for obtaining a comprehensive patient history
- 4F03 patient assessment (eg, inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation), terminology, and the modifications caused by common disease states and drug therapy
- 4F04 common clinical laboratory values and diagnostic tests and their clinical role
- 4F05 OTC point-of-care testing devices (eg, glucometers, pregnancy tests, home testing for HbA1c, drug screening).
- 4F06 false positive and false negative results
- 4F07 therapeutic drug concentrations and their interpretation
- 4F08 problem identification (eg, duplication dosage, drug interactions, dietary interactions, adverse drug reactions and interactions, frequency dosage form, indication mismatches) and resolution planning
- 4F09 triage and referral skills
- 4F10 designing of patient-centered, culturally relevant treatment plans
- 4F11 application of evidence-based decision making to patient care
- 4F12 nonprescription and dietary supplements
- 4F13 drug monitoring for positive and negative outcomes (including drug induced disease)
- 4F14 clinical management of drug toxicity and overdosage
