Mapping an EPA-based comprehensive curricular proposal for UME

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. In medical education, there have been three important reforms: science-based curriculum, problem-based learning, and competency-based education. Currently, the concept of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) goes a step beyond competencies. The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to present a proposal for an EPA-based curriculum for undergraduate medical education, and second, to describe its curricular framework, educational model and organization. This curricular proposal integrates EPA-based education with the foundations of the interpretive epistemology, the constructivist paradigm and the health care transformations. Using Actividades Profesionales Confiables (APROC) as a curricular guideline helps the educators define knowledge, skills, and attitudes; teachers can plan activities that link theory to practice; evaluators can assess the student's performance and provide him with feedback, and Faculty leaders and collaborators can implement projects to improve educational quality. The curriculum proposal includes a flexible modular system, the integration of biomedical, socio-medical and clinical sciences, and a close link between theory and practice. This curriculum puts medical education at the forefront, it favors the comprehensive education of future physicians, and it constitutes a true educational revolution.