Autonomy in entrustable professional activities after the COVID-19 pandemic: the perspectives of residents and teachers.

Abstract

Introduction. The entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are 13 activities that new medical graduates should be able to perform without direct supervision. Our objective was to assess the perceptions of residents and teachers regarding their autonomy to perform the EPAs 2 years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional study of first-year residents of clinical and surgical specialties and their teachers. Electronic, anonymous questionnaires were used. Results. Subjects were 31 residents and 20 teachers. Most residents believed that they were able to perform 8 of the 13 EPAs independently. According to most teachers, residents required direct supervision to perform 11 of the 13 EPAs. Significant differences were observed between residents' and teachers' perceptions in 8 of the 13 EPAs. Conclusion. The perception of autonomy to perform the EPAs in the beginning of the residency program was considerably better among residents than their teachers.