The Ins and Outs of EPAs course is designed to provide experienced educators and individuals having roles in curriculum development, coordination, and faculty development with hands-on experience to conduct workshops and courses focused on EPAs.
Evolved from a three-day on-site course in 2018 and 2019 in Utrecht, the Netherlands and elsewhere, the course has been held online multiple times per year in different times zones since 2020 for highly international groups in medicine and all other health professions. The course has moved from being hosted by UMC Utrecht until the end of 2024, to the Association Medical Schools in Europe (AMSE) as a host.
The course has a non-profit philosophy. Most energy of all individuals and organizations involved in the spotlights and behind the scenes is based on enthusiasm and commitment. With this philosophy, course fees are relatively low, and affordable for participants from low- and middle-income countries. There is one paid, senior coordinating staff member. All others receive a very modest compensation for their efforts.
The standard International EPA course is held in English. Over the past years, satellite versions of the course have been developed in Spanish and Mandarin, and a dedicated course for Singapore educators only. Likewise, a German language version wil be held in 2025, and more versions of the course (language, region, or profession-specific) are envisioned in the near future, all under auspicies of an EPA course oversight committee. The ASME website hosts the International course and may host satellite courses, such as the German language course.
The overall coordination in 2025 lies with Dr. Marije Hennus, MD PhD MClinEd (University medical Center Utrecht) and Dr. Olle ten Cate, PhD (emeritus, University Medical Center Utrecht and University of California, San Francisco). Susana Costa, MD, is the senior course coordinator from January 2025.
What are EPAs?
Entrustable Professional Activities, or “EPAs” as they are commonly known have become an significant component of the design of competency-based education in health professions education. Many postgraduate medical programs and increasingly undergraduate medical programs worldwide are redesigning education and assessment procedures to incorporate EPAs in clinical training. Other health professions have explored the possibilities to use EPAs in their programs, such as nursing, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, physician assistant, midwifery, physical therapy and dentistry training.
Identifying suitable EPAs and finding consensus, adapting the objectives and programs of training, implementing new routines for education in the workplace, using entrustment decision making as an assessment approach, and faculty development to get everyone on board all require a deep understanding of the EPA concepts and skills and a toolkit of workshops and presentations, to be used at local schools and institutions. The International EPA Course has a focus on these components of working with EPAs.
Recent EPA course testimonials
Brilliant course! Excellent engagement; — I have taken away so much to think about and reflect on. — Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this CoP. — Just shows that you can be engaging even in an online environment! — It was nice being able to speak and discuss with experienced and notable figures in the med ed scene in such a light-lighted and intimate setting. — I also appreciate that the groupings were very thoughtful – e.g., we were given chance to interact with people from different background and have a more diverse understanding on the challenges that different communities are facing in EPA implementation. — It was a fantastic and very educational course. — Small group discussions were great, and I really really liked the video clips. — Thank you very much to all the excellent faculty!