Read about Expectations and Recommendations for Entrustable Professional Activities in Surgical Residency

A new Resources in Surgical Education (RISE) article is available: Are Graduating Residents Prepared for a Career in Academic Surgery?

The product of a general surgery residency program has evolved as the complexity within the US healthcare system increases and demands on the academic surgeon have grown, as the public expects graduating surgical residents to be competent clinicians who able to navigate operative and non-operative ailments.

The benchmarks for graduating surgical residents have evolved alongside resident education, and today, the American Board of Surgery is defining specific entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to which assess graded proficiency of ability. EPAs together help form an improved holistic view of trainee competence and can more consistently track progress of trainees as they become more independent in their training. However, surgical residents have unique requirements to learn operative skills on top of other competencies. 

This article aims to discuss the gaps between expectations and reality and to assist with future residency training tracks in these areas as well as creating categories for these academic surgical EPAs.

Read the Article.