Entrustable professional activities for cytopathology fellowship

Abstract

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are an educational tool in the framework of competency-based medical education. EPAs are a relatively new concept in pathology. No studies to date exist on the utilization of EPAs during cytopathology fellowship training. This article reviews the recent literature on this topic and shares our institutional experience with the implementation of an EPA for fine needle aspirations and rapid on-site evaluations. While EPAs allow for tracking the competence of the cytopathology fellow toward independent practice for fine needle aspirations and rapid on-site evaluations, the required amount of documentation may represent a potential barrier for the widespread adoption of this new tool.

Keywords: Competency-based medical education; Cytopathology; Entrustable professional activities; Fellowship; Pathology.