Questioning to assist in Supervision Levels and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)

MedEdPearls August 2018: Faculty supervision levels are examined through a prospective, summative entrustment scale that fosters physician trainee progression toward autonomy.

What levels of supervision are required for physician trainees? This month’s MedEdPearl focuses on faculty supervision levels using a prospective, summative entrustment scale that fosters physician trainee progression toward autonomy.  As trusting propensity is an important component in supervision and entrustment, ten Cate and colleagues have developed an easily understood model for communicating aspects of entrustment through level of supervision for trainee assessment. The model describes elements of progression and decision-making that can foster autonomy in the learner.  As a complement to ten Cate's model, the MedEdPearls team offers the following questions to quickly assess the required level of supervision for a learner while encouraging learner growth.

  1. What is your plan for …?  (This could address the learner’s plan for managing a patient and this question transfers ownership to the learner)
  2. How many times have you done …? (This is a proxy for skill development if direct observation of skill set has not been made)
  3. How comfortable are you...? (Combined with the above questions this self-assessment can help determine level of supervision)
  4. How would you teach a peer to...? (This question assesses the learner’s readiness to supervise others)

Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) levels quick guide:

Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) levels quick guide.

What questions do you use to encourage trainee autonomy?  Share them via twitter with the hashtag at #MedEdPearls 

Resources

  1. ten Cate, O., (2013) Nuts and Bolts of Entrustable Professional Activities JGME, 5(1): 157-158. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-12-00380.1
  2. ten Cate, O., (2018) A Primer on Entrustable Professional Activities KJME, 30(1): 1 – 10. doi: 10.3946/kjme.2018.76
Megan M. Haak Headshot.

 

Megan M. Haak, MA, is the Program Manager for Graduate Medical Education with the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals (MCWAH), Inc. Ms. Haak works with programs to ensure continued compliance for over 90 ACGME-accredited training programs. Ms. Haak believes cultivating an intentional growth mindset opens the doors to many pathways in this journey of life. Ms. Haak is professionally interested in faculty development, teaching and learning, measurement and evaluation, and survey design.

Additional Information

The MedEdPearls are a collaborative, peer-reviewed, monthly brief intended to provide practical tips and strategies for medical and health professions educators to enhance teaching and learning.

  • Jean Bailey, PhD – Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
  • Carrie Bowler, EdD, MS, MLSCM (ASCP) – Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development
  • Kristina Dzara, PhD, MMSc (Educators ’16; Assessment ’16; HCE 2.0 ’17) – Saint Louis University School of Medicine
  • Shanu Gupta, MD, SFHM – University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Tampa General Hospital
  • Jennifer Hillyer, PhD – Northeast Ohio Medical University
  • Larry Hurtubise, PhD, MA (HCE 2.0 '16) – The Ohio State University
  • Anna Lama, EdD, MA – West Virginia University School of Medicine
  • Machelle Linsenmeyer, EdD, NAOME (Assessment ’07) – West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Skye McKennon, PharmD, BCPS, ACSM-GEI – Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
  • Rachel Moquin, EdD, MA – Washington University School of Medicine
  • Stacey Pylman, PhD – Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
  • Leah Sheridan, PhD – Northeast Ohio Medical University
  • Lonika Sood, MBBS, MHPE – Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
  • Mark Terrell, EdD – Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Stacey Wahl, PhD – Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

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