Entrustable Professional Activities: Can this Framework be Applied to Nurse Anesthesia Education to Assist in the Transition to Competency-Based Teaching?

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are the tasks or responsibilities which can be entrusted to a learner competent in that task to allow for unsupervised practice. The concept of EPAs is well documented in medical education literature, but only recently in nursing education. A paucity of literature exists on the application of an EPA framework specifically in nurse anesthesia. Based on the successful application of EPAs in competency-based medical and nursing education, we are of the opinion that this framework may also be utilized in the transition to competency-based education for nurse anesthesia learners. Many certified registered nurse anesthetists clinical preceptors lack training in competency-based education and teaching. The concept of EPAs may assist clinical preceptors in the translation of competencies and performance evaluation of learners. EPAs are defined for the nurse anesthesia clinical education setting. Examples of EPAs specific to nurse anesthesia include anesthesia machine checks, intubation, invasive line placement, regional anesthesia blocks, and preoperative assessment. Criteria of EPAs, barriers to use, and concrete examples are provided. Deliberate use of the EPA framework by clinical preceptors may lead to a more effective evaluation of the learner, thus resulting in purposeful progression to competence.