Skip to main content
Current Developments in Nutrition logoLink to Current Developments in Nutrition
. 2021 Jun 7;5(Suppl 2):485. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzab040_009

Entrustable Professional Activities for Undergraduate Nutrition Student Clinical Training: Development and Implementation

Weining Wang 1, Ya Ling Wang 2, Chao Hsiu Chen 3, Yi Jui Chan 4, Hui Min Hsieh 5
PMCID: PMC8340802

Abstract

Objectives

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have been applied to postgraduate and undergraduate medical training, but the application of nutrition intern students is rare. The clinical training of nutrition intern students must be connected with the nutrition care ability after graduation. Outpatient diabetes nutrition care is an important job of hospital dietitian. Therefore, this is the good point for the development of EPAs evaluation. The objective of this study was to describe the development of EPAs for nutrition intern training in the nutrition department of a medical center.

Methods

We chose the topic “Diet and health education for diabetic patients in outpatient clinics” and set the EPAs framework. EPAs was developed through an iterative consensus process involving the advanced dietitians. The content includes task description, capabilities (knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors), evaluation information, setting the trust level and validity period. The evaluation was established through expert validity. Final EPAs revisions followed from the multisource feedback. The Clinical Competency Committees (CCC) was established for final evaluation and approval.

Results

The EPAs was piloted for intern students in the Nutrition Department of the Medical Center from 2019. The assessment methods include test, mini-CEX, ad-hoc EPA, OSCE. The assessment content includes the knowledge of diabetes medical, diet, drug, clinical consultation, education, empathy and attitude, etc. Students were evaluated during each period of training. Finally, all the evaluation results were summarized and the CCC gave each student a credit rating.

Conclusions

Through multiple evaluations and timely feedback, the ability of intern students was defined in more precision. It allowed clinical teachers to achieve a teaching consensus. Combine competence with actual work, and integrate evaluation with authorization. We need to construct a complete information system to make evaluation more efficient in the future.

Funding Sources

None.


Articles from Current Developments in Nutrition are provided here courtesy of American Society for Nutrition

RESOURCES