Integrating and Assessing Entrustable Professional Activities in Doctor of Pharmacy Curricula

The 2022 Curriculum Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities include an updated set of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for Doctor of Pharmacy graduates. To assist pharmacy educators with the integration and assessment of EPAs, this work aimed to review and synthesize approaches to integrate EPAs in health professions curricula, strategies for EPA-related assessments and entrustment in health professions curricula, and challenges and research needs for integrating EPAs in assessment frameworks in Doctor of Pharmacy curricula.

A literature review resulted in 114 articles identified as having relevance with 33 articles specific to pharmacy education. There are multiple components of an effective EPA integration and assessment plan, including administrative leadership, determination of programmatic EPAs with comprehensive descriptions, selection of an entrustment-supervision scale, identification of EPA-based assessments, EPA mapping, data management, and training and development.

Strategies with applicability for integrating and assessing EPAs in pharmacy education were analyzed and synthesized. Evidence-informed and expert recommendations for EPA integration and assessment are discussed. Programs can apply these recommendations to implement and assess EPAs in alignment with their own institutional and curricular contexts.