What do I need to know for the exam?

The CPJE is primarily a pharmacy law / clinical exam which teaches graduate pharmacists the idiosyncrasies of the Californian pharmacy system. From the feedback we have received from previous subscribers to our courses the main subjects you need to be aware of for the exam include:

• Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) / STEMI
• Asthma
• Anticoagulation
• California Pharmacy Law
  
• Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP)
• COPD
• Diabetes
• Dyslipidemia
• Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP)
• Hypertension 

The above list has been collated from exit reports from the 1,000+ students whom we have helped pass the exam. The official CPJE syllabus comes from the California Board of Pharmacy, which we use for the basis of our CPJE Exam courses:

California Pharmacy Law

• This includes knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations related to pharmacy practice
• Pharmacy Practice Act, 
• The Controlled Substances Act
• Regulations related to the dispensing, distribution, and storage of pharmaceuticals.

Patient Medicine Provision

• Understand prescription/medication order(s)
  
• Construct medical histories by obtaining information from patients, their representatives or healthcare workers, paying close attention to disease states, clinical condition, medication use, allergies, adverse reactions, disabilities, medical/surgical therapies, laboratory findings, physical assessments and/or diagnostic tests
  
• Use Patient Medical records to enter patient medication history
  
• Preparation and subsequent documentation of IV admixtures and controlled substances
  
• Document preparation of medication in various dosage forms (e.g., compounded, unit dose)
  
• Perform safe dispensing practices including labelling and checking, and final checking
  

Therapeutic Outcomes

• Establish a patient's therapeutic outcome and create a therapeutic regimen around this whilst communicating and documenting the progression
  
• Understand the limitations of pharmacy and the need for referrals
  
• Understand the importance of blood pressure, glucose levels and drug levels
  
• Manage drug therapy according to protocols established by federal or state
  
• Assess the patient's understanding of the disease and treatment
  
• Advise a patient or their representative on prescription medication therapy and devices, nonprescription medication (OTC), herbal and complementary therapies, non-drug therapy (such as lifestyle), self-monitoring of therapy (e.g., devices, symptoms)
  
• Ensure the patient/patient's representative's compliance with the information presented
  
• Educate healthcare professionals such as physicians, nurses, medical residents/fellows, other health care providers/students and intern pharmacists
  

Pharmacy Logistics

• Create and keep records of orders for pharmaceuticals, durable medical equipment, devices and supplies, and controlled substances including expediting emergency orders which have been bought, received or returned
  
• Understand the need for storage of pharmaceuticals, durable medical equipment, devices and supplies under proper storage conditions
  
• Disposal of expired or recalled pharmaceuticals, durable medical equipment, devices, supplies and document any actions that have been taken
  
• Communication of any variability in product availability (such as formulary changes, recalls, shortages) to pharmacy staff, patient/patient's representative, physicians and other healthcare professionals
  
• Creation of failsafe standard operating procedures which prevent theft and/or drug diversion
  
• Assess pharmacist and/or pharmacy technician competence
  
• Ensure the accuracy of medication administration
  
• Implement a system for medication error prevention, assessment, and reporting (e.g., root cause analysis, National Patient Safety Goals)
  
• Implement a system by which adverse drug reactions are documented, analyzed, evaluated and reported
  
• Monitor the practice site and/or service area for compliance with federal, state and local laws, regulations and professional standards
  
• Supervise the work of pharmacy staff
  
• Ensure the availability, control, and confidentiality of patient and prescription information (e.g., patient profiles, medication administration records)
  
• Maintain a formulary system
  
• Apply an evaluation of a therapeutic interchange between drugs
  
• Conduct medication use evaluations on patients with complex polypharmacy regimens
  

Lastly, to fully grasp the most common subjects of the exam our tutors recommend having a firm grasp of the following:

• Top inpatient / outpatient drugs
• IV stability
  
• Compounding
  
• Liver/kidney complications
  
• Immunizations
  
• Allergies

If you are looking to pass the exam, let us help you. Check out our testimonials page to see our success stories.