Experiential Faculty Development to Increase the Number of Entrustable Professional Activity Assessments

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine Training
• Competency-Based Education

Background:

• Emergency medicine (EM) residents require completion of adult and pediatric entrustable professional activities (EPAs).
• Residents faced challenges in receiving EPA assessments during pediatric rotations due to untrained preceptors during stepwise EPA implementation.
• A study was conducted to assess the impact of a faculty development workshop on EPA assessment rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a faculty development workshop on the number of EPA assessments completed by EM residents.
• To measure behavior change in faculty regarding EPA supervision and assessment.

Main Methods:

• A pretraining and posttraining comparative study was conducted with 27 faculty members.
• Training was delivered via videoconference, incorporating experiential learning for EPA supervision skills.
• Participants practiced EPA selection, feedback delivery, autonomy evaluation, and logbook recording.

Main Results:

• 20 out of 27 faculty members participated (74% participation rate).
• Key challenges identified included lack of trainee initiative, preceptor training, and competence in EPA supervision.
• The study period saw an increase in EPA assessments per resident from 3/7 to 4/7 post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Faculty training utilizing diverse educational strategies can increase EPA assessments for EM residents.
• The workshop positively influenced faculty's ability and willingness to conduct EPA assessments.
• Improved EPA assessment rates contribute to enhanced resident training and competency development in pediatric emergency medicine.