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Simulating success: Applying EPA assessments to simulation in surgical education
Maggie E Jones-Carr1, George Sarosi2, Brenessa Lindeman3
1Department of Surgery, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/mjonescarrMD.
Surgery
|January 4, 2025
Summary
The American Board of Surgery uses Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) to assess surgical residents. While simulation can aid training, EPA assessments in simulations should not replace real clinical evaluations for resident readiness.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Surgical Training
- Competency-Based Assessment
Background:
- Concerns exist regarding the declining practice readiness of general surgery trainees.
- Simulation in surgical education has emerged as a potential tool to address these concerns.
- Traditional trainee evaluations in simulated scenarios lack standardization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the application of the Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) framework in surgical simulation.
- To evaluate the potential of EPAs to structure simulated scenarios for surgical training.
- To familiarize early-stage trainees with the EPA evaluation format.
Main Methods:
- The study discusses the American Board of Surgery's 2023 deployment of EPAs for general surgical residents.
- EPAs are competency-based evaluations assessing 18 core conditions across multiple care phases.
- The framework integrates clinical competencies, including medical knowledge and patient care skills.
Main Results:
- The EPA framework offers a structured approach to evaluating trainees in simulated environments.
- Simulations can enhance trainee confidence and prepare them for clinical scenarios.
- EPA assessments in simulations may align training more closely with operative autonomy.
Conclusions:
- EPA assessments in simulated scenarios can potentially structure training and familiarize residents with the evaluation format.
- However, the efficacy of simulations hinges on their fidelity to actual clinical care.
- EPA assessments of simulated scenarios should not substitute authentic clinical training for resident evaluation.
