[Entrustable Professional Activities in Advanced Nursing Education: Implications for Curriculum Design and Clinical Competency Development].

Abstract

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) represent a structured framework for competency-based assessment that operationalizes clinical competencies into observable and measurable clinical activities or tasks. Thus, delineating the activities considered core or critical to practice in a particular profession is critical, with the expectation that trainees will achieve a level of competence sufficient to perform each activity independently and with a high degree of trust. In the context of advanced nursing education, developing EPAs involves identifying the key responsibilities and critical tasks that advanced practice nurses (APNs) must carry out autonomously in specific clinical settings. These tasks are aligned with relevant core competencies to inform the design of educational curricula and assessment standards. EPAs thus provide a practical, competency-oriented approach to evaluating clinical performance in professional training. Integrating EPAs into advanced nursing education not only helps define the roles and scope of APNs but also clarifies the core competencies needed to meet the demands of clinical practice. This alignment helps bridge the gap between education and clinical practice, offering a structured pathway for the professional development of APNs. However, the use of EPAs in nursing education remains in its early stages. In this article, the author reviews key concepts of competency-based education and explores strategies for developing EPAs, with a focus on the anticipated advantages and challenges associated with implementing this framework to advance nursing education.