News Center

Published June 11, 2014

Pharmacy and health professions programs in the College of Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Monroe are consistently ranked as some of the premier programs in the state and around the country. For the 2013 calendar year, students in these programs tested significantly above national rates on licensure exams.

“The performance of our students in the various health sciences degree programs and on state and national board exams is a testimony to not only the quality of students that these programs attract, but the consistent and outstanding work that our faculty perform to provide these students with the opportunity to be successful,” said Dr. Benny Blaylock, dean of the College of Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

ULM speech-language pathology students passed the PRAXIS exam at 100 percent for 2013. Students become licensed by the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The national average passage rate for this exam is 80 percent. 

In pharmacy, students exceed the national average on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination. ULM students logged a 98 percent passage rate, with the national rate coming in at 92.8 percent.

ULM occupational therapy students scored a 100 percent passage rate on the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy exam. The national passage rate for that exam is 84 percent.

Mental health programs at ULM are also experiencing a surge in talented students. The marriage and family therapy program saw a 100 percent passage rate for students in its Master of Arts program and students in its Doctor of Philosophy program.

Counseling students also performed well on licensure exams. Eighty-eight percent of students who took the Professional Counselor Examination passed, coming in above the national average of 78 percent.

One hundred percent of those who took the Praxis Examination in School Guidance Counseling passed, which is significantly higher than the national average of 77 percent.

ULM’s medical laboratory sciences students surpassed the national average of 86 percent by scoring a 100 percent passage rate on the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification exam.

ULM’s dental hygiene, nursing, and radiologic technology (rad tech) programs all logged 100 percent passage rates for 2013. National averages for these programs were not published.

“In the classroom, the research laboratory, and in the practice sites, our faculty and students are among the best anywhere,” said Blaylock. “They continue to be a major reason for students to choose ULM for excellent preparation for a health sciences career.”

For more information about ULM’s pharmacy and health professions, visit ulm.edu/chps/