Entrustable Professional Activities in Palliative Medicine: A Faculty and Learner Development Activity

Background: Faculty development (FD) is critical to the implementation of competency-based medical education (CBME) and yet evidence to guide the design of FD activities is limited. Our aim with this study was to describe and evaluate an FD activity as part of CBME implementation. Methods: Palliative medicine faculty were introduced to entrustable professional activities (EPAs) and gained experience estimating a learner's level of readiness for entrustment by directly observing a simulated encounter. The variation that was found among assessments was discussed in facilitated debrief sessions. Attitudes and confidence levels were measured 1 week and 6 months following debriefs. Results: Participants were able to use the EPA framework when estimating the learner's readiness level for entrustment. Significant improvements in attitudes and level of confidence for several knowledge, skill, and behavior domains were maintained over time. Conclusions: Simulated direct observation and facilitated debriefs contributed to preparing both faculty and learners for CBME and EPA implementation.