Enhancing Pediatric Emergency Medicine Skills Through Entrustable Professional Activity-Based Simulation for...

Background The pediatric clerkship rotation exposes medical students to essential skills for managing a wide range of pediatric conditions, including emergency care. Simulation-based education is a mainstay of medical education that provides an effective means of developing clinical decision-making skills, especially in high-risk situations. The addition of simulation education to pediatric clerkships would provide direct observation of Core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), competencies defined by the Association of American Medical Colleges as "the abilities that new physicians should be able to demonstrate upon the first day of internship". Objective The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an EPA-based simulation education program in a pediatric clerkship that focuses on neonatal resuscitation, informed consent, and lumbar puncture. Methods A structured simulation education program was incorporated in a pediatric clerkship that utilized case-based scenarios, partnered informed consent education sessions, and procedure skill trainers. A pre- and delayed post-assessment was used to evaluate changes in self-efficacy and knowledge retention. Feedback was used to assess the perceived educational benefits. Results The study showed that students' self-efficacy in managing pediatric emergencies has significantly improved. Objective measurements showed that knowledge retention improved significantly after six weeks. Conclusion The integration of simulation-based education into pediatric clerkship effectively enhances medical students' preparedness to manage pediatric emergencies. The addition of EPA-based simulation education to pediatric clerkships would better prepare medical students to manage pediatric emergencies.