Entrustable

Entrustable is an adjective meaning capable of being entrusted with a task or responsibility; it describes something that can be trusted to be handled or managed by someone. The word is formed from the verb entrust plus the suffix -able, indicating suitability for being entrusted.

In professional education, the term is most closely associated with entrustable professional activities, or EPAs. EPAs are units of professional tasks that trainees can be trusted to perform independently once they have demonstrated the necessary competence. They are used to connect general competencies to real-world responsibilities and to guide assessment and progression. Entrustment decisions, often made by supervisors, determine the level of supervision a trainee requires for a given task. Common practice includes defining expected performance, observing work, and assigning supervision levels that range from direct supervision to unsupervised practice.

The concept emphasizes trust and responsibility in workplace-based learning. It is applied primarily in medicine and other health professions, but can be relevant in education, nursing, engineering, and other fields where tasks require professional judgment and accountability. Entrustable describes both a state (a task that can be entrusted) and a standard used to evaluate readiness for independent performance. It is distinct from general terms like trustworthy or dependable, focusing specifically on formal assessment of readiness to undertake professional duties.