Specific Learning Objectives in the Form of Selfassessment to Facilitate Rehabilitation Residency Training Competency: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the benefits of rotation- and milestone-specific learning objectives in the form of self-assessment questionnaires to facilitate rehabilitation residency training.
 Materials and methods: Control and intervention groups were formed during academic years 2020 and 2021, respectively. The group participants were residents undergoing training in rehabilitation medicine. Before entering their rotations, the intervention group participants were provided rotation- and milestone-specific learning objectives in the form of self-assessment questionnaires. The participants of both groups self-assessed their confidence levels for each learning objective after the rotations, using a 5-level Likert scale. The self-rated scores of the 2 groups were compared.
 Results: Twenty-five and 28 residents were enrolled in control and intervention groups, respectively. There were 12 sets of learning objectives (4 rotations; 3 milestones). Only 2 sets revealed higher self-rated scores for the intervention group (the pediatric and the pain rotations of the second-year residents). The groups’ scores for Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) and tests of participants’ knowledge of the learning objectives showed no differences.
 Conclusions: Providing learning objectives and conducting self-assessments are crucial for successful learning. Although there is limited evidence of the benefits of our intervention, the advantages of specific learning objectives might be enhanced when combined with other measures that support residency training.