The Modernisation of the Internship Programme has involved development of a new national competency based curriculum. Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are the cornerstone of the new curriculum and defined as a unit of professional practice that a trainee can be trusted to perform without direct supervision, once sufficient competence has been demonstrated.
Seven EPAs for Irish internship were developed as a multi-step iterative process involving a range of stakeholders and validated by a larger and wider group thus leading to the final framework of outcomes for the end of internship in Ireland approved by the Medical Council.
These seven EPAs describe what we expect interns to perform by the end of the year, independently with distant supervision:
1. Clerking a patient
2. Requesting and interpreting basic investigations
3. Performing essential procedural skills
4. Managing the work of in-patient care
5. Prescribing and monitoring drugs and fluids
6. Recognising and managing the deteriorating/acutely unwell patient
7. Handing over and discharging a patient
EPAs involve the integration and application of multiple competencies in day-to-day practice. A range of workplace-based assessment tools have been designed which will be used to provide feedback to interns on their progress and enable them to gather evidence of their developing competence.
EPAs and the associated workplace based assessments will be used to determine if interns meet the requirements for certification at the end of their training, and can demonstrate that they have achieved standards set by the Medical Council.
Infographic EPA (PDF)
Please also see some useful links below:
Introduction to the EPA Framework for the Internship Programme
Entrustable Professional Activities - EPAs
