TY - JOUR
T1 - International Delphi study on developing entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for master's learners in health professions education
AU - Hamed, Omayma
AU - Verstegen, Danielle
AU - Alsheikh, Ghanim
AU - Alqarni, Mohammed A.
AU - Taleb, Rim
AU - Rege, Nirmala
AU - Barua, Purnima
AU - Cymet, Tyler
AU - Shamim, Muhammad Shahid
AU - Hegazy, Mohamed Saad
PY - 2024/11/26
Y1 - 2024/11/26
N2 - BackgroundCompetencies-based education has gained global recognition, emphasizing the need for educators to align educational outcomes with healthcare system requirements. However, limited literature exists on competency frameworks and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) specific to health professions educationists, hindering the development of tailored Master's programs.AimThis study aimed to develop a competency framework outlining the roles and functions for Master's learners in Health Professions Education (MHPE) and identify the key EPAs that form the foundation of a task-based MHPE curriculum, along with the expected levels of entrustment.MethodsAn international Delphi study was conducted involving three rounds of surveys and qualitative discussions with an expert panel of health professions educationists from diverse contexts (n = 29). The Delphi technique, including open-ended and quantitative rating scales, was employed to reach consensus on the EPAs and their levels of entrustment. The final list of EPAs was validated using the EQual rubric.ResultsA total of 16 EPAs were identified and validated, mapped to core and potential roles and functions of health professions educationists. There is less agreement on the level of entrustment that should be attained at the master level, resulting in EPAs that must be fully entrusted before graduation and others which need further development afterwards.ConclusionThe study presents a comprehensive competency framework and a set of EPAs tailored for MHPE programs, providing a structured approach to curriculum design and learner assessment. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating context-specific considerations and aligning educational objectives with the evolving roles and responsibilities of health professions educationists.
AB - BackgroundCompetencies-based education has gained global recognition, emphasizing the need for educators to align educational outcomes with healthcare system requirements. However, limited literature exists on competency frameworks and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) specific to health professions educationists, hindering the development of tailored Master's programs.AimThis study aimed to develop a competency framework outlining the roles and functions for Master's learners in Health Professions Education (MHPE) and identify the key EPAs that form the foundation of a task-based MHPE curriculum, along with the expected levels of entrustment.MethodsAn international Delphi study was conducted involving three rounds of surveys and qualitative discussions with an expert panel of health professions educationists from diverse contexts (n = 29). The Delphi technique, including open-ended and quantitative rating scales, was employed to reach consensus on the EPAs and their levels of entrustment. The final list of EPAs was validated using the EQual rubric.ResultsA total of 16 EPAs were identified and validated, mapped to core and potential roles and functions of health professions educationists. There is less agreement on the level of entrustment that should be attained at the master level, resulting in EPAs that must be fully entrusted before graduation and others which need further development afterwards.ConclusionThe study presents a comprehensive competency framework and a set of EPAs tailored for MHPE programs, providing a structured approach to curriculum design and learner assessment. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating context-specific considerations and aligning educational objectives with the evolving roles and responsibilities of health professions educationists.
KW - Competencies-based
KW - Framework
KW - Delphi
KW - MHPE
KW - Entrustable Professional activities
KW - COMPETENCE
KW - CARE
KW - CHALLENGES
U2 - 10.1186/s12909-024-06377-z
DO - 10.1186/s12909-024-06377-z
M3 - Article
SN - 1472-6920
VL - 24
JO - BMC Medical Education
JF - BMC Medical Education
IS - 1
M1 - 1362
ER -