Which Entrustment-Supervision Scale is Right for Pharmacy Education?

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are an outgrowth of the competency-based educational model to support workplace-based learner assessments and evaluation. A learner's performance of EPAs is assessed by the degree of pro-vided entrustment and required supervision rather than by a score, percentage, or letter grade typically assigned in tra-ditional academic coursework. Entrustment-supervision (ES) scales are used to document learner progression and steer learner development over time. The purpose of this article is to critique various ES tools in health professions education for utilization within an EPA framework for learner assessment in workplace-based settings and to determine which will best suit pharmacy education. Exploring the advantages and disadvantages across all types of ES scales is a critical step in determining the most useful ES tool for use within a specific pharmacy institution and across the Academy. An ES scale with the traditional 5 levels, a prospective assessment frame, and increased stratification at lower levels should be re-commended by the Academy and utilized in workplace-based settings for formative and summative assessment to provide more valid assessment of learners, support the ideal of life-long learning, and give more meaning for pharmacy faculty and learners within assessment.

Automated summary

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are used to assess learners by the level of entrustment and supervision, rather than traditional grading methods. Evaluation tools, such as entrustment-supervision (ES) scales, should be critiqued and chosen carefully to ensure accurate assessment in workplace-based settings. An ES scale with 5 levels, a prospective assessment frame, and increased stratification at lower levels is recommended for pharmacy education.