PEBC Part I (MCQ) case studies
PEBC Part I (MCQ) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The PEBC Qualifying Examination Part I is the multiple-choice component of the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada's qualifying examination - the assessment pathway that helps determine whether a pharmacist's knowledge and judgement are ready for Canadian practice. It is most often written by internationally educated pharmacy graduates working toward licensure in a Canadian province or territory; graduates of Canadian accredited programs generally enter the process at the OSCE stage, so confirm your own eligibility and entry point with PEBC before you register. The PEBC Part I (MCQ) case studies are 5 cases and about 4,556 words.
1New fatigue and weakness in a patient with heart failure, CKD and polypharmacy
A 74-year-old man (78 kg) with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (LVEF 32%), type 2 diabetes and stage 3b chronic kidney disease comes to your community pharmacy reporting two weeks of fatigue, poor appetite and new generalized muscle weakness. He has no palpitations, syncope or chest pain; his pulse is regular at 62 beats/min and blood pressure is 104/66 mmHg.
831 words, about 4 min2Fosphenytoin loading in status epilepticus: phenytoin equivalents and preparation
A 3-year-old boy weighing 14 kg is being treated in the emergency department for convulsive status epilepticus. The handwritten order reads: 'Fosphenytoin 280 mg IV once now, infuse at 3 mg PE/kg/min.' Stock on the unit is fosphenytoin sodium injection, 10 mL vials labelled 75 mg/mL (50 mg PE/mL).
873 words, about 4 min3Compounding a preservative-free caffeine citrate solution for a preterm neonate
A 1.8 kg preterm neonate (gestational age 28 weeks, now 5 days old) in the neonatal intensive care unit is to start caffeine for apnea of prematurity. The order reads: 'caffeine 20 mg/kg loading dose once now, then 5 mg/kg once daily starting in 24 hours.' The unit's standard reference converts these to caffeine citrate.
935 words, about 5 min4A late-evening opioid prescription with multiple red flags
It is 21:10 on a Friday. A 29-year-old man you have not met presents a paper prescription for hydromorphone controlled-release 6 mg, one tablet every 12 hours, quantity 60, no repeats.
965 words, about 5 min5Reading a noninferiority trial of a new anticoagulant and applying it to an older patient
A colleague forwards a phase 3 randomized trial of a new oral factor XIa inhibitor versus apixaban in 21,000 patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and CHA2DS2-VASc of 3 or more. Mean age is 71 years; patients older than 80 were eligible only if creatinine clearance exceeded 50 mL/min.
952 words, about 5 min