Integration of Entrustable Professional Activities in a Competency-Based Clinical Assessment Tool in a Nurse Practitioner Program

Background:Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are used in competency-based clinical assessment.Problem:Faculty in a Family Nurse Practitioner program aimed to improve their clinical assessment tool to more effectively measure students' clinical performance, outline expectations, track progress, and document evidence related to clinical competence.Approach:EPAs that aligned with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner (NP) Faculties Core NP Competencies were integrated into a clinical assessment tool. Student performance expectations at different points in the program were outlined. Students documented each time they performed an EPA during clinical experiences.Outcome:The EPA-based clinical assessment tool captured valuable information about student performance during clinical experiences and contributed to evidence related to competencies.Conclusions:EPAs can be used to assess clinical performance and document evidence of competence and readiness for practice. Tracking the frequency of EPA performance was essential to ensure students had sufficient practice.