Implementation of a School-wide, EPA-based Acting Internship Curriculum

Authors

Adam Garber, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow

First Author Information

Adam Garber, MD Assistant Professor Acting Internship Director

Additional Author(s) Information

Moshe Feldman PhD Alan Dow MD MSHA Michael Ryan MD MEHP Sally Santen MD PhD Joel Browning BS Stephanie R. Goldberg MD

Presentation Format

Poster

Type of Activity

Research

Original Presentation Date

2018

Date of Submission

April 2018

Abstract/Short Description

Objectives. The core entrustable professional activities for entering residency (Core EPAs) were established by the AAMC as a framework to assess competency. The Acting Internship (AI) rotation is an excellent space to assess core EPAs, however many institutions have no structured AI curriculum. Our goal is to develop a standardized, school-wide AI curriculum that includes evaluation and assessment of designated core EPAs. Method. At our institution, two non-departmental AI directors were directed to oversee all AI rotations across the school and implement goals, objectives, and curriculum focused around specific core EPAs. A clinical skills-focused curriculum combining a mix of didactic and active learning techniques, including case-based practice scenarios, was administered. Students were directly observed on the wards assessed on ability to perform handoffs and calling consults. AI students completed a pre- and post- self-assessment and course evaluation. Results/Key Findings. The formalized AI pilot curriculum unified expectations and requirements across all AI rotations to ensure comparable clinical experiences. As a result of the AI rotation, there was statistically significant improvement in in self-assessed ability to perform designated key clinical functions, with the largest improvement in ability to perform patient handoffs and call consults. Conclusion. Our school-wide AI is useful to evaluate and assess medical student performance for entrustment decisions. Future efforts will focus on identifying what supplemental data and assessment tools are needed to best make entrustment decisions and what additional educational tools should be implemented to collect this data.

References

Englander R, Flynn T, Call S, et al. Toward defining the foundation of the MD degree: Core entrustable professional activities for entering residency [published online April 19, 2016]. Acad Med. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000001204.

Rights

© The Author(s)

Is Part Of

VCU Medical Education Symposium