Bridging the gap between undergraduate veterinary training and veterinary practice with entrustable professional activities

Abstract

The transition from being a veterinary student to becoming a member of the veterinary profession is known to be challenging. Despite being licensed directly after graduation, many veterinarians do not feel fully equipped to practice unsupervised when they graduate.The increasing rate of attrition from veterinary practice, and a relatively high percentage of burnout during the first years in practice, has been suggested to be related to a lack of early career support. Over the past decade, medical education has adopted the concept of entrustable professional activities (EPAs). Recently, EPAs have been proposed to restructure veterinary education to help support the transition from veterinary student to practicing veterinarian. Implementing an EPA-based approach could help to bridge the gap between school and clinical practice, potentially preventing veterinary graduates from dropping out early on from what could have been a promising and exciting professional career.