Preceptor Perspectives Using Entrustable Professional Activity-Based Assessments During Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

Objective: To explore advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) preceptor perspectives including implementation recommendations, barriers, and facilitators to using entrustable professional activity (EPA) assessment in pharmacy experiential education.

Methods: Two 90-min virtual focus group sessions were conducted to elucidate preceptor perspectives on EPA integration into APPEs through semistructured discussion. Preceptors with experience utilizing entrustment-supervision scales with EPAs for assessments for at least 4 APPE learners in the last year were eligible.

Evaluating the Validity of National Multiassessment System in Postgraduate Surgical Training: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity evidence supporting the use and interpretation of a multifaceted assessment system in the early years of surgical training.

Design: This was a national retrospective cohort study analyzing the validity and reliability of an assessment process for surgical residents over a 2-year period. Data from all elements of the assessment process was evaluated using Messick's unified validity framework.

Flexible endoscopic intubation in emergency medicine: A mixed-methods needs assessment.

Objectives: This needs assessment aimed to improve understanding of flexible endoscopic intubation training and practice in emergency medicine (EM), providing insights to educators and practice leaders seeking to improve education and practices.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, mixed-methods needs assessment of emergency physicians (EPs) incorporating focus groups and a survey. Focus groups comprised community EPs, academic EPs, and resident EPs.

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestone Training Ratings and Surgeons' Early Outcomes.

Importance: National data on the development of competence during training have been reported using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones system. It is now possible to consider longitudinal analyses that link Milestone ratings during training to patient outcomes data of recent graduates.

Objective: To evaluate the association of in-training ACGME Milestone ratings in a surgical specialty with subsequent complication rates following a commonly performed operation, endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Assessing methodological quality in dental education research using MERSQI: Analysis of publications from two journals.

Purpose: The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) has been used frequently to assess the methodological quality of medical education but not for dental education. The present study aimed to assess the methodological quality using MERSQI scores of articles published in the Journal of Dental Education (JDE) and the European Journal of Dental Education (EJDE).

Methods: A cross-sectional assessment of the quality of manuscripts published in 2012, 2017, and 2022 JDE and EJDE was conducted.

Competencies of undergraduate physiotherapy education: A scoping review.

Background: In recent years, the need for competency-based medical education has been emphasised. Each country needs a defined set of physiotherapy competencies from the associations and governing bodies.

Objectives: Our review aimed to map competencies of undergraduate physiotherapy education and propose a context-specific competency framework for Namibia.

The rapid growth and expansion of Master of health professions education (MHPE) programs: A mixed-methods study of international curricular trends and guidelines for programs.

Purpose: This study explores international trends and standards of Master's degree programs through a comprehensive environmental scan and focus group interviews to understand curricular structure, content, program director expectations, educational context, and future directions.

Method: Authors conducted a two-phase mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to conduct the environmental scan (phase 1), and subsequently conducting focus groups (phase 2) with program directors. A population list of Master's programs was used to generate a sampling frame, considering the geographic region (continent) and institution type (university, organization, public institution).

An Analysis of Written and Numeric Scores in End-of-Rotation Forms from Three Residency Programs.

Introduction: End-of-Rotation Forms (EORFs) assess resident progress in graduate medical education and are a major component of Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) discussion. Single-institution studies suggest EORFs can detect deficiencies, but both grades and comments skew positive. In this study, we sought to determine whether the EORFs from three programs, including multiple specialties and institutions, produced useful information for residents, program directors, and CCCs.

Surgical skills training for practicing surgeons founded on established educational theories and frameworks.

Following completion of structured training in residency or fellowship programs, surgeons need to acquire new skills throughout their careers to address changes in their surgical practices, and to perform new procedures and use new technologies as these are developed. The opportunities available to surgeons to acquire the new skills, safely introduce these skills into surgical practice, and then maintain the skills, vary greatly and may not fully support a surgeon's needs. The article shares background information relating to the vexing problems, and describes established educational theories and frameworks as well as specific frameworks relating to surgical skills training and verification that may be used in designing and implementing comprehensive and impactful surgical skills training programs aimed at practicing surgeons.

Evaluating the Quality of the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for New Pharmacy Graduates.

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs) for New Pharmacy Graduates according to standards outlined in competency-based education literature utilizing the Queen's EPA Quality (EQual) rubric. A cohort of pharmacists with EPA expertise rated Core EPA quality with the EQual rubric and provided recommendations for revisions. A generalizability study determined the reliability of the EQual ratings with pharmacist users.

Tuition Costs of Master's of Health Professions Education Programs: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Purpose: The increasing professionalization of medical education during the past 2 decades has ushered in an era in which formal degrees, particularly master's of health professions education (MHPE), have become important for career advancement in medical education. Although tuition costs can pose a substantial barrier for many seeking advanced degrees in health professions education, data on tuition associated with these programs are lacking. This study examines the accessibility of pertinent cost-related information available to prospective students and the variability of costs among programs worldwide.

Patient handoffs and multi-specialty trainee perspectives across an institution: informing recommendations for health systems and an expanded conceptual framework for handoffs.

Background: Safe and effective physician-to-physician patient handoffs are integral to patient safety. Unfortunately, poor handoffs continue to be a major cause of medical errors. Developing a better understanding of challenges faced by health care providers is critical to address this continued patient safety threat.

Exploring knowledge, attitudes and perceived myths towards foetal programming and factors affecting it among the public and health professionals in Pakistan: a needs assessment study.

Objective: To explore knowledge, attitudes and practices of laypersons and health professionals towards foetal programming, and factors affecting it.

Methods: The mixed methods study was conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, from January 20, 2021 to May 13, 2022, and comprised adults of either gender with access to social media platforms. Data was collected using an online survey questionnaire in English and Urdu developed to capture responses from a diverse pool of participants.

"My Assessments Are Biased!" Measurement and Sociocultural Approaches to Achieve Fairness in Assessment in Medical Education.

Assessing learners is foundational to their training and developmental growth throughout the medical education continuum. However, growing evidence shows the prevalence and impact of harmful bias in assessments in medical education, accelerating the urgency to identify solutions. Assessment bias presents a critical problem for all stages of learning and the broader educational system.

Comparative evaluation of weighted mean and composite score for combining assessments.

Objectives: Approaches for combining scores have been based on weighted mean (WM) without consideration for psychometric characteristics of each individual assessments. This study evaluates consequences of WM and composite score (CS) approach.

Methods: Data from two longitudinal cohorts (n = 219) were utilized for performance in three Operative Dentistry courses as basis to compare the two score-combining methods.

The Role of Religious Culture in Medical Professionalism in a Muslim Arab Society.

Purpose: Calls have been made to integrate concepts and practices derived from Muslim culture into medical professionalism in Muslim societies. Little is known about how these religious cultural concepts (RCCs) influence medical practice and education. This study explored the influence of RCCs on medical professionalism in Saudi Arabia.

The Inconspicuous Learner Handover: An Exploratory Study of U.S. Emergency Medicine Program Directors' Perceptions of Learner Handovers from Medical School to Residency.

Central to competency-based medical education is the need for a seamless developmental continuum of training and practice. Trainees currently experience significant discontinuity in the transition from undergraduate (UME) to graduate medical education (GME). The learner handover is intended to smooth this transition, but little is known about how well this is working from the GME perspective.

Implementation of the AAMC's Holistic Review Model for Psychiatry Resident Recruitment.

Introduction: In psychiatry, several converging factors are impacting the recruitment of residents: the increased competitiveness of the specialty, the national trend to take active steps to improve diversity and inclusion, and the decision from USMLE to change Step 1 to a pass/fail result.

Methods: We developed a workshop for psychiatry residency program directors to meet these challenges and transition into using a holistic review model during recruitment. The workshop included (1) a didactic session providing background on the AAMC holistic review model; (2) a small-group exercise to determine and prioritize experiences, attributes, competencies, and metrics (EACMs) aligned with the program's mission and aims; (3) a review of the rankings from the previous exercise, selection of two "very important" criteria for each of the four domains of the EACM model, and operationalization of these criteria based on the recruitment process; and (4) a discussion focused on application of program criteria with example applicants.

Development of a United States Radiation Oncology Curricular Framework: A Stakeholder Delphi Consensus.

Purpose: A United States (US) radiation oncology curriculum, developed using best practices for curriculum inquiry, is needed to guide residency education and qualifying examinations. Competency-based training, including entrustable professional activities (EPAs), provides an outcomes-based approach to modern graduate medical education. This study aimed to define US radiation oncology EPAs and curricular content domains using a deliberative process with input from multiple stakeholder groups.

Predicting Performance at Graduation From Early ACGME Milestone Ratings: Longitudinal Learning Analytics in Professionalism and Communication in Vascular Surgery.

Objective: Program directors in surgical disciplines need more tools from the ACGME to help them use Milestone ratings to improve trainees' performance. This is especially true in competencies that are notoriously difficult to measure, such as professionalism (PROF) and interpersonal and communication skills (ICS). It is now widely understood that skills in these two areas have direct impact on patient care outcomes.

Needs assessment in head and neck surgical oncology training: A qualitative study of expert opinions.

Background: Few studies have investigated the needs of head and neck surgery trainees and areas for improvement of fellowship programs.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study by interviewing a nationally representative sample of program directors and national leaders in head and neck surgery. We asked about the current state and strengths of training; and areas for further improvement.

Expert consensus on the conceptual alignment of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies with patient outcomes after common vascular surgical procedures.

Background: The quality and effectiveness of vascular surgery education should be evaluated based on patient care outcomes. To investigate predictive associations between trainee performance and subsequent patient outcomes, a critical first step is to determine the conceptual alignment of educational competencies with clinical outcomes in practice. We sought to generate expert consensus on the conceptual alignment of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Vascular Surgery subcompetencies with patient care outcomes across different Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) registries.

The Need for Quality Assessment of Entrustable Professional Activities in Pharmacy Education.

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are specific tasks that a professional is entrusted to perform autonomously and, together, they define the scope of a profession. There are specific attributes that a task must possess both structurally and conceptually to be classified as an EPA. A high-quality EPA must be an observable, measurable, and professional task that requires training to execute, is fit for entrustment, and can be performed independently.