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Personal Views

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for teachers in medical education: Has the time come?

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Abstract

On a daily basis, patients put their trust in the healthcare system for safe and high-quality healthcare. However, what evidence do we have as an educational community that our supervising faculty members are competent to fulfill this responsibility? Few, if any, requirements exist for faculty members to have continuous professional development in the field of medical education. Many faculty “love to teach”, however, this love of teaching does not make them competent to teach or assess the competence of trainees whom they supervise. Faculty members who have a significant role as a teacher in the clinical setting should be assessed with regards to their baseline competence in applicable teaching EPAs. When competence is reached, an entrustment decision can be made. Once proficient or expert, a statement of awarded responsibility (STAR) may be granted. The time has come to reach beyond the “standards” of the old adage “see one, do one, teach one” in medical education. In this personal view, the authors outline an argument for and list the potential benefits for teachers, learners, and patients when we assess clinical teachers using EPAs within a competency-based medical education framework.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors (CD & TT) presented “Teaching in Medical Education: An Entrustable Behavior or Not?” as a point of view at the International Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) Annual Conference, August 2016. © All rights reserved.

Notes on contributors

Charlene M. Dewey, MD, MEd, FACP, is the Assistant Dean for Educator Development and Professor of Medical Education and Administration, Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. She directs the Educator Development Program (EDP) and EDP Scholars Program, and has twenty years of experience in developing, implementing and evaluating medical education faculty development programs.

Gersten Jonker, MD, is an anesthesiologist and rotations’ director of pediatric anesthesia training for residents and fellows at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital / University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands. He is a PhD student in medical education focusing on Entrustable Professional Activities and the attainment and assessment of competence.

Olle ten Cate, PhD, is Professor of Medical Education, and Director, Center for Research and Development of Education, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands and holds an adjunct professor position at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the former president of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education.

Teri L. Turner, MD, MEd, MPH, is the Vice Chair of Education and Director for the Center for Research, Innovation and Scholarship in Medical Education, Department of Pediatrics. She co-directs the Master Teacher Fellowship Program and is the immediate past chair of the Academy of Distinguished Educators for Baylor College of Medicine.

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