Use of Entrustable Professional Activities in the Assessment of Surgical Resident Competency

IMPORTANCE: Competency-based assessments of surgical resident performance require metrics of entrustable autonomy. OBJECTIVES: To designate entrustable professional activities (EPAs) in global performance and in specific operations, and to identify differences in perceived capability, autonomy, and expectations between surgical faculty and residents. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This survey study was conducted from August 9, 2016, through August 24, 2016, in the Department of Surgery at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. The survey instrument consisted of 5-point Likert scales for assessing perceptions of entrustability for 5 global and 5 operative EPAs. Faculty members were surveyed regarding resident capabilities and expected capabilities by postgraduate year. Residents were surveyed regarding their own capabilities, actual autonomy entrusted in the last EPA performed, and expected capabilities. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Differences in mean ratings were assessed across 7 comparison domains. RESULTS: Among 78 total faculty members, 31 (40%) participated in the survey. Among 49 residents, 39 (80%) participated in the survey. Residents generally rated their global EPA performance higher than the faculty did (mean, 3.7 vs 2.8; P