PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Rhodes, Laura A. AU - Marciniak, Macary Weck AU - McLaughlin, Jacqueline AU - Melendez, Carlos R. AU - Leadon, Kim I. AU - Pinelli, Nicole R. TI - Exploratory Analysis of Entrustable Professional Activities as a Performance Measure During Early Pharmacy Practice Experiences AID - 10.5688/ajpe6517 DP - 2019 Mar 01 TA - American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education PG - 6517 VI - 83 IP - 2 4099 - http://www.ajpe.org/content/83/2/6517.short 4100 - http://www.ajpe.org/content/83/2/6517.full SO - Am J Pharm Educ2019 Mar 01; 83 AB - Objective. To examine entrustable professional activities (EPAs) as an assessment tool for student pharmacists completing early practice experiences.Methods. Students completed a 2-month practice experience upon conclusion of their first year. Student performance on EPAs was assessed by preceptors and students at the midpoint and conclusion of the experience using a scale that ranged from dependent (1.0) to independent (5.0). Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test assessed for differences between the midpoint and final evaluations on student self-evaluations and between the midpoint and final evaluation on preceptor-student evaluations. Cronbach’s α assessed reliability of the EPAs.Results. From May to August 2016, 147 students completed a practice experience. Student-self and preceptor-student evaluations at the midpoint and final approximated a median score of 3.0 (IQR 2) and 4.0 (IQR 3), respectively, on EPAs 1-14. Analyses revealed statistically significant increases from midpoint to final evaluation for all constructs on both evaluations. Cronbach’s α yielded scores of 0.98 for the preceptor evaluations and 0.95 for the student self-evaluation.Conclusion. There was an increase in student performance over time. The EPA statements may be a reliable assessment tool for student performance in pharmacy education.