Developing an Entrustment Process: Insights from the AAMC CoreEPA Pilot.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Assessment in Health Professions Education

Background:

• The CoreEPA pilot aimed to assess the feasibility of a summative entrustment decision process for entrustable professional activities (EPAs).
• Medical education is increasingly adopting EPA-based assessment models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the approaches and decision-making rationale of ten participating medical schools in developing their EPA entrustment processes.
• To identify common themes, challenges, and best practices in implementing EPA-based assessment.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from all ten CoreEPA pilot medical schools.
• Follow-up communication was used to ensure the completeness and accuracy of gathered information.

Main Results:

• Approaches to the entrustment process varied significantly across schools, yet all adhered to pilot principles.
• Common barriers to the entrustment process were identified.
• Schools agreed that more experience is needed before making consequential entrustment decisions.

Conclusions:

• While feasible, developing a standardized EPA entrustment process requires further refinement and experience.
• Sharing results and challenges can assist other medical schools transitioning to EPA-based assessment.
• CoreEPA pilot schools are actively addressing implementation challenges for graduating students.