Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have become a popular topic within competency-based medical education programs in many countries and hundreds of publications within only a few years. This paper was written to introduce the ins and outs of EPAs. After a brief historical overview, the rational of EPAs, as a bridge between a competency framework and daily clinical practice, is explained. Next, entrustment decision-making as a form of assessment is elaborated and framework of levels of supervision is presented. For readers interested to apply the concept in practice a stepwise approach to curriculum development is proposed. The paper concludes with an overview of the state of the art of working with EPAs in across disciplines, professions and countries.
Introduction
Brief historical overview
What are entrustable professional activities and why was the concept created?
How do EPAs relate to competencies?
Entrustment decisions
Levels of supervision as a scale for assessment in the workplace
Building a workplace curriculum with EPAs
Conclusion
References