Bureaucratic Box-Ticking in Competency-Based Medical Education
Author Information
Author(s): Alicia C. Strand, Andreas Gingerich, Vijay John Daniels
Primary Institution: University of Alberta
Hypothesis
What leads residents and faculty towards a ‘tick-box’ approach in EPA assessments?
Conclusion
The study found that the drift towards bureaucracy in workplace-based assessments is becoming a predictable pattern.
Supporting Evidence
- Entrustable Professional Activity assessments are intended to enhance learning and inform promotion decisions.
- Participants reported that the requirement to complete assessments often felt bureaucratic.
- Preceptors and residents described their experiences as being influenced by the need to fulfill assessment quotas.
Takeaway
This study looked at how medical residents and their teachers feel about a new way of assessing their skills, which sometimes feels more like filling out forms than actually learning.
Methodology
Qualitative interviews with 16 residents and 27 preceptors were conducted to explore their experiences with EPA assessments.
Potential Biases
Participants may have felt obligated to complete assessments due to program requirements, which could influence their responses.
Limitations
The study only included participants who submitted an EPA assessment, potentially missing contrasting perspectives.
Participant Demographics
Participants included first- and second-year residents and faculty preceptors from the Internal Medicine residency program at the University of Alberta.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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