Implementation and Evaluation of Entrustable Professional Activities for a Pharmacy Intern Training Program in...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Professional Training
• Workplace Assessment

Background:

• Pharmacy intern training programs require effective assessment tools.
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) offer a competency-based framework for assessing trainees.
• Implementing new assessment tools necessitates understanding user perceptions and feasibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation and evaluation of EPAs in an Australian pharmacy intern training program.
• To assess the perceptions and experiences of pharmacists and provisionally registered pharmacists using EPAs.
• To evaluate the feasibility and educative value of EPAs as a workplace assessment tool.

Main Methods:

• Utilized surveys and focus groups with provisionally registered pharmacists and supervising pharmacists.
• Conducted thematic analysis on focus group data to identify key themes.
• Analyzed survey data, comparing Likert-scale responses and reporting entrustment levels over time.

Main Results:

• Focus groups revealed themes on EPA use, benefits, challenges, and recommendations.
• Pharmacist surveys indicated satisfaction with EPA feasibility in the workplace.
• Provisionally registered pharmacists valued feedback and demonstrated progression in entrustment levels across EPAs.

Conclusions:

• EPAs are a feasible and educative tool for pharmacy intern training in Australia.
• Successful implementation of EPAs is significantly influenced by adequate education and training.
• Provisionally registered pharmacists showed consistent progress in their entrustment levels throughout the training program.