Evaluating Nurse Practitioner Student Competencies: Application of Entrustable Professional Activities

Abstract

Background: A knowledge gap exists regarding the best methods for assessment of nurse practitioner (NP) student clinical competence. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) translate competencies into practice and provide a potential framework for NP clinical competency assessment. This study piloted the use of an EPA-based method of assessing NP student clinical competence via simulated clinical experiences. Method: Six EPAs were mapped to NP core competencies. Faculty designed clinical scenarios to assess student clinical performance using EPA-based rubrics. Online family nurse practitioner students rotated through simulated clinical scenarios during an on-campus residency. Faculty assigned a utility score to each EPA activity description. Results: Student EPA scores paralleled time-based program requirements. Faculty found over 70% of EPA activity descriptions to be useful or requiring minor editing in assessing students. Conclusion: This study is an important step toward the creation of a standardized, competency-based process for NP clinical performance assessment. [ J Nurs Educ . 2020;59(12):714–720.]

Scoping review: Diagnostic reasoning as a component of clinical reasoning in the U.S. primary care nurse practitioner education

“…Most of the papers in our review addressed the importance of developing clinical thinking as a highly valued curricular outcome of NP education programs with multiple teaching strategies used. In only three papers (Luke et al, 2021 ; Moore & Hawkins‐Walsh, 2020 ; Quinlin et al, 2021 ) was clinical thinking not directly addressed. In these papers, emphasis was placed on the demonstration of observable clinical skills rather than the cognitive processes underlying those functions.…”

The effects of competency-based training model in the training of new nurses: A meta-analysis and systematic review

“…In China, the Confucian educational thought passed down in history and the modern education system that imitated the former Soviet Union's classroom style have severely restricted the development of students' creative thinking styles and their professional PLOS ONE construction and development capabilities [46,47]. The CBT extends and expands the training content of theory and practice, which is closer to clinical reality, and can effectively improve the ability of new nurses to solve difficult problems and make clinical judgments and decisions, thereby improving their critical thinking skills and the cultivation of innovation ability, professional construction and development ability [48][49][50].…”

Developing and Implementing Entrustable Professional Activities to Prepare Global Nurses

“…A new approach can be used to enable our graduates to fully participate in meeting the health care needs of global populations (Rosa et al, 2021). Relatively new to nursing education are Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA), which are the measurable tasks the students must be able to safely perform unsupervised in their professional roles (ten Cate & Young, 2012; Moore & Hawkins-Walsh, 2020). Using EPAs in education builds on the foundation of achieved competencies.…”