Developing and Implementing an Entrustable Professional Activity Assessment for Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Smith, Connie; Stewart, Roxie; Smith, Gregory; Anderson, H. Glenn; Baggarly, Scott

doi:10.5688/ajpe7876

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…EPAs are expected to be tasks that are observable, measurable, and require professional training for execution [ 26 ]. Various applications of EPAs have been proposed, yet they all converge to prepare graduates for professional practice [ 26 – 29 ] and to serve as a guide to document student performance and progression in the program [ 15 , 16 , 30 – 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, it is argued that EPAs are professional responsibilities and should not be used to assess performance in a classroom setting because such assessment requires direct and multiple observations of the learner performing the EPA without supervision [ 14 ]. Yet, there are reports of EPAs being successfully implemented in experiential pharmacy settings and OSCEs [ 15 – 17 ]. Accordingly, EPAs were reported as reliable assessment tools to assess pharmacy students’ performance in their first professional year as part of introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs), in the first pharmacy professional year, or in OSCEs [ 16 – 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Entrustable professional activities-based objective structured clinical examinations in a pharmacy curriculum

Nasser,

Kanbar,

Btaiche

et al. 2024

BMC Med Educ

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Background The integration of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) within the professional pharmacy program, contributes to assessing the readiness of pharmacy students for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) and real-world practice. Methods In a study conducted at an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)-accredited Doctor of Pharmacy professional degree program, 69 students in their second professional year (P2) were engaged in OSCEs. These comprised 3 stations: best possible medication history, patient education, and healthcare provider communication. These stations were aligned with Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) and Ability Statements (AS). The assessment aimed to evaluate pharmacy students’ competencies in key areas such as ethical and legal behaviors, general communication skills, and interprofessional collaboration. Results The formulation of the OSCE stations highlighted the importance of aligning the learning objectives of the different stations with EPAs and AS. The evaluation of students’ ethical and legal behaviors, the interprofessional general communication, and collaboration showed average scores of 82.6%, 88.3%, 89.3%, respectively. Student performance on communication-related statements exceeded 80% in all 3 stations. A significant difference (p < 0.0001) was found between the scores of the observer and the SP evaluator in stations 1 and 2 while comparable results (p = 0.426) were shown between the observer and the HCP evaluator in station 3. Additionally, a discrepancy among the observers’ assessments was detected across the 3 stations. The study shed light on challenges encountered during OSCEs implementation, including faculty involvement, resource constraints, and the necessity for consistent evaluation criteria. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of refining OSCEs to align with EPAs and AS, ensuring a reliable assessment of pharmacy students’ clinical competencies and their preparedness for professional practice. It emphasizes the ongoing efforts needed to enhance the structure, content, and delivery of OSCEs in pharmacy education. The findings serve as a catalyst for addressing identified challenges and advancing the effectiveness of OSCEs in accurately evaluating students’ clinical readiness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entrustable professional activities-based objective structured clinical examinations in a pharmacy curriculum

Nasser,

Kanbar,

Btaiche

et al. 2024

BMC Med Educ

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“…The 2016 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards requires that the pre-APPE curriculum provides the necessary foundation for student pharmacists to be prepared for APPEs [ 1 ]. While IPPE students are typically entrusted to perform tasks with direct and proactive supervision by their preceptors, APPE students are entrusted to perform activities that are more complex with indirect and reactive supervision [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Effect of Virtual Education on Student Pharmacists’ Confidence toward APPE Readiness

et al. 2022

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A drop in confidence in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) readiness was observed in students in the Class of 2022 prior to starting APPEs. We aim to investigate potential causes of students’ low confidence in APPE preparedness to provide solutions and to prevent this outcome with future students. We evaluated students’ perceived confidence to start APPEs and compared this to curricular changes, employment obligations, and the impact of COVID-19 on delivery of the pre-APPE and APPE curriculum. Students’ low confidence with APPE readiness was not indicative of the following factors: (1) delivery of the didactic curriculum, (2) students’ performance in the didactic curriculum, or (3) number of summative assessments in key didactic courses. Rather, the low confidence perception may have been due to differences such as a fully remote didactic experience in the P3 year, more virtual Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs), a reduced course load in the P3 spring semester, and changes to a pre-APPE preparatory course compared to other class years. The students’ self-reported midpoint scores during their first APPE block and preceptor’s evaluations on their performance contrasted their pre-APPE perceptions. Frequent in-person and on-site skills assessments throughout the didactic curriculum seem to reinforce confidence before APPEs.

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“… 7 A contemporary crosswalk from ACPE Standards and CAPE Outcomes to EPAs has been developed to further display and explain these connections to pharmacy educators. 8 , 9 In doing so, EPAs facilitate valid and reliable assessments of students by preceptors during experiential curricula. 10 , 11 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Appraisal of the entrustable professional activities interprofessional team member domain performed by North Dakota pharmacists

Scott¹,

Kelsch²,

Zhang³

et al. 2021

Pharm Pract (Granada)

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Objective: To quantify the use of the interprofessional team member (ITM) domain of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) by North Dakota pharmacists across practice sites, roles in practice, and by preceptor status. Methods: Survey methods were used to characterize the self-reported frequency with which pharmacists undertake core EPAs and supporting tasks in the ITM domain. The survey was administered to registered pharmacists practicing in North Dakota (n=990) during the fall of 2018, of which 457 (46.1%) responded. After eliminating responses with incomplete or missing information, 119 responses were available for analysis. Results: For the overall EPA ITM domain, “Collaborate as a member of an interprofessional team population” pharmacists reported performing these activities an average (mean) of 3.3 times per month (SD=2.3). Within this domain, the highest reported example activity was “Use setting appropriate communication skills when interacting with others” (mean=4.1, SD 1.8), followed by “Communicate a patient’s medication-related problem(s) to another health professional” (mean=3.3, SD 2.0), and “Contribute medication-related expertise to the team’s work” (mean=3.1, SD=2.2). ITM domain and supporting example activities were performed at a greater rate in hospitals, community health centers and long-term-care facilities. For most items, preceptors reported a greater use of activities, than did non-preceptors. Conclusions: North Dakota pharmacists currently complete tasks outlined in the ITM domain of the EPAs, although their contributions are varied by task, role, and preceptor status.

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Developing and Implementing an Entrustable Professional Activity Assessment for Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

Entrustable professional activities-based objective structured clinical examinations in a pharmacy curriculum

Entrustable professional activities-based objective structured clinical examinations in a pharmacy curriculum

Exploring the Effect of Virtual Education on Student Pharmacists’ Confidence toward APPE Readiness

Appraisal of the entrustable professional activities interprofessional team member domain performed by North Dakota pharmacists

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