Implementing an entrustable professional activities programmatic assessments for nurse practitioner training in emergency care: A pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundEntrustable professional activities (EPAs), as new methods used to operationalize competency-based education, are gaining acceptance in medical professions. However, no EPA-based framework exists to evaluate emergency care nurse practitioners' competencies in clinical practice. ObjectivesTo develop, implement, and evaluate an EPA-based framework for emergency care nurse practitioners. DesignProspective observational study. SettingAn accredited nurse practitioner training program in the emergency department of a University-affiliated Hospital. ParticipantsEight novice nurse practitioners and eighteen clinical instructors. MethodsA working group of academic educators, nurse practitioner leaders, and clinical instructors developed a set of EPAs using a participatory design method. We scheduled weekly ad hoc evaluations for the nurse practitioners in emergency care, and we collected several observations from multiple assessors for analysis. ResultsFour nested EPAs were developed that adopted a 1–5 supervision–entrustment scale to measure performance. The results of the 20-month assessments illustrated that the average scores of EPA1, which measured the assessment and management of patients with acute medical presentations in the emergency department, differed significantly but were not positively correlated with the nurse practitioners' increasing subspecialty and department seniority levels (Kruskal–Wallis test P = .011 and 0.006, respectively). In addition, the most time required for the nurse practitioners to achieve a stable level 5 entrustability score for all EPAs for at least 3 consecutive months was 18 months. Clinical instructors noted that recognizing limits is a skill that is essential for a nurse practitioner to earn clinical instructors' trust. ConclusionsEntrustability scores may not correlate with nurse practitioners' increasing seniority, and patient care requires the longest training time (18 months) for emergency care nurse practitioners to achieve autonomy. Program directors should adjust the supervision–entrustment level expected at various stages of training according to the complexity of individual EPAs. An EPA-based assessment framework in a nurse practitioner training program may assist in overseeing the development of competencies for emergency care nurse practitioners.