Preparing for implementation of an entrustable professional activity assessment framework

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Curriculum transformation is a guiding principle and driving force to continued institutional growth and innovation in oral health education. The transformation process starts from the need and desire for change to achieve the strategic goals of curriculum invocation. The design and implementation process must follow a systematic approach to ensure the oral health curricula are meeting the demands of preparing learners for their future careers and are in line with the institutional strategic goals and processes. The process of curriculum transformation needs to be carefully crafted and implemented to include all constituents and have clear and measurable outcomes to define its path and results. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry is undergoing the journey of oral health curriculum innovation and transformation. The goal of this paper is to describe the change management process using Kotter's organizational model that may apply to other schools aiming to innovate dental curricula.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a change management model to develop and implement dental curricula: A case study

Quiñonez

Zomorodi

Broome

et al. 2023

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“…These decisions were reviewed in consultation with members of an EPAs dental learning community composed of other interested non‐UNC faculty on this topic. UNC predoctoral program directors were involved in determining criteria for entrustment decisions focused on repeated quality and independence to achieve practice readiness 15 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…UNC predoctoral pro-gram directors were involved in determining criteria for entrustment decisions focused on repeated quality and independence to achieve practice readiness. 15 Phase 4: After a final draft of the EPAs document was prepared, the curriculum management team, which oversees curriculum decisions, voted on and approved each element of the framework. The EPAs task force -a group consisting of approximately 12-14 faculty from various disciplines, teaching and learning consultants, and the director of Institutional Effectiveness -reviewed and re-mapped the EPAs to the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards as a secondary confirmation of proper alignment.…”

Section: Epas Development Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing entrustable professional activities for general dentistry at the University of North Carolina

Quinonez,

Broome,

Nesbit

et al. 2023

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IntroductionAs part of curriculum innovation, the University of North Carolina (UNC) Adams School of Dentistry identified core entrustable professional activities (EPAs) that graduates must demonstrate for practice readiness. This paper describes the development of the UNC EPAs and the perceptions of the general dentistry faculty.MethodsUpon establishing a blueprint of knowledge, skills, and attitudes of UNC graduates, using a distributed leadership approach, faculty teams developed EPAs focused on the patient care process. The American Dental Education Association Compendium of Clinical Competency Assessments and Commission on Dental Accreditation Standards informed the team's work. Perceptions of the assessment framework were examined using a questionnaire completed by 13 general dentistry faculty considering the importance, accuracy, and agreement of each EPA, associated domains of competence, and encounter management on a 6‐point rating scale.ResultsDistributed leadership was a useful strategy in EPA development to disperse decision‐making and build ownership. Through multiple iterations, four EPAs (assessment, plan of care, collaborative care, and provision of care) with associated sub‐EPAs emerged. EPAs included a description, required knowledge and skills, and rubrics for assessment. The general dentistry faculty reported a high level of importance, accuracy, and agreement with EPAs, domains of competence, and encounter management.DiscussionEPAs provide a standardized manner to describe the comprehensive work dentists perform, shifting away from individual competencies. The UNC EPAs provide the foundation for longitudinal measures of competence preparing graduates for independent practice. With limited EPAs frameworks available in dentistry, we aim to inform the development and implementation of EPAs across dental education.

“…Other institutions were engaged in evaluating whether the use of EPAs in dental education would be beneficial, as research was suggesting that EPAs were successfully implemented in medical education and other health professions programs. [14][15][16] In 2022, the ADEA Compendium EPA Workgroup was formed. The goals of this multidisciplinary and inter-institutional team were to: (a) develop EPAs for dental education; (b) conduct pilot studies to evaluate EPA content, the assessment process, and the tools used for calibration, data collection, and analysis; (c) gauge the reliability and validity of the EPA assessment of readiness for practice; (d) publish and disseminate peer-reviewed scholarship and provide educational programs; and (e) provide information to establish a national standardized and customizable system to support the compendium's goals.…”

Section: Adea Compendium Epa Workgroupmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the COVID‐19 pandemic, efforts dedicated to the ADEA Compendium of Clinical Competency Assessment were suspended to shift resources toward oral health schools and programs. Other institutions were engaged in evaluating whether the use of EPAs in dental education would be beneficial, as research was suggesting that EPAs were successfully implemented in medical education and other health professions programs 14–16 . In 2022, the ADEA Compendium EPA Workgroup was formed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

American Dental Education Association Compendium Entrustable Professional Activities Workgroup report

Ramaswamy,

Danciu,

Kennedy

et al. 2024

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PurposeEntrustable professional activities (EPAs) are discrete clinical tasks that can be evaluated to help define readiness for independent practice in the health professions and are intended to increase trust in the dental graduate. EPAs provide a framework that bridges competencies to clinical practice. This report describes the work of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Compendium EPA Workgroup to develop a list of EPAs for dental education and supportive resources, including specifications and a glossary.MethodsPreliminary work including literature and resource review, mapping of existing competencies, and review of other health professions’ EPAs informed the development of our EPAs list. Workgroup members achieved consensus using a modified Delphi process. A Qualtrics survey using a validated rubric for the assessment of EPAs as described in peer‐reviewed literature was used. Dental educators, including academic deans, were surveyed for feedback on the content and format of the EPAs.ResultsBased on findings in the literature analysis of existing EPAs and competencies in health professions, a list of EPAs was developed along with a description of specifications. The EPA workgroup (nine members from multiple institutions) used the Delphi process in receiving feedback from various experts. A list of 11 core EPAs was vetted by dental educators including academic deans (n = ∼23), and the process of development was reviewed by EPAs experts outside dental education. A glossary was developed to align language.ConclusionThese EPAs define the scope of dental practice. This report represents Phase 1 of the EPA framework development and vetting process. Future directions will include a broader vetting of the EPA list, faculty development, and national standardized technology that support this work to optimize implementation.