Abstract: Competency-based medical education (CBME), as a characteristic of the third generation of medical education, has received considerable attention. Various countries have intensified their research efforts, successively proposing competency frameworks and Milestones for medical education, and suggesting the use of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for resident training and competency evaluation. This review summarizes the competency frameworks and milestones in medical education, reviews the application of EPAs in postgraduate education, and focuses on the application of EPAs in the undergraduate education phase. It highlights the increasingly important role that EPAs are playing in curriculum design and competency evaluation at the undergraduate level. Appropriately designed EPA projects at the undergraduate level can facilitate medical students' learning in contextualized environments, enhance their professional competence, and strengthen the effective connection between undergraduate and postgraduate education. The introduction of core EPA projects at the undergraduate level is feasible and of great significance.

Key words: Education, medical, Competency-based medical education(CBME), Core competencies, Entrustable professional activities(EPAs), Undergraduate medical education