Evaluating the Quality of the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for New Pharmacy Graduates

In this prospective cohort study, the quality of the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for New Pharmacy Graduates (Core EPAs) developed by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) in 2017 was assessed utilizing the Queen’s EPA Quality (EQual) Rubric. Of the 205 identified pharmacists with EPA expertise, nine responded and applied the EQual rubric to each of the Core EPAs. Respondents also offered recommendations for EPA revision. Most of the Core EPAs (9/15) did not reach acceptability cut-off scores, indicating a need for revision. All five EPAs within the Patient Care Provider Core EPA Domain met acceptability cut-offs. The low overall score was mainly driven by low scores in EQual Domain 1 that measures an EPA as a discrete unit of work. This suggests that the wording of the task could be revised to better align with EPA characteristics set forth by the EQual rubric, rather than revising the activity itself. This study highlights the need to integrate quality assessment into processes for EPA development and revision.