Competence by Design for Residents

As residents you are a part of a Competence by Design (CBD) model of training and there are many different times of assessment that help to provide the mosaic of your progress along the way. While on rotations workplace-based assessments for specific Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) and longitudinal feedback forms (CanMEDS Longitudinal Assessment forms)/narratives help provide this information. These EPAs are used to create a clear learning path for you and help tailor supports and learning experiences as you progress into becoming pediatricians.

 Either residents or supervisors can initiate an observation for EPA assessment in the workplace through https://cbme.med.ualberta.ca.

Over time, frequent observation and documentation of a trainee’s performance will provide a comprehensive image to inform achievement decisions for specific EPAs and for promotion decisions for the stages of training along the way. This is not the judgement of the individual preceptor: preceptors and their colleagues just give feedback, or coach, on the workplace-based assessments. All this information is reviewed, confidentially, by the competence committee.

Residents will need at least three EPA assessments completed per week to remain on track. 

Residents are instructed to identify an EPA they wish to have assessed on a particular day, discuss this with the preceptor at the beginning of the day, and request an assessment from a preceptor or senior resident prior to the interaction (this makes the observation the most authentic, rather than after the fact running the risk of just choosing what went well).  Once the EPA assessment has occurred and feedback provided, it is most efficient if this is completed in real time.  While we realize there may be serendipitous opportunities that arise, advising potential observers at the beginning of the day that an EPA observation will be attempted, will provide advance notice so an observer can be prepared to come and observe the activity and the assessment can be done in real time (instead of being emailed after the fact and losing that feedback opportunity!).

More information and resources at the Departmental level are available here at CBD Resource Site (not unique to General Pediatrics, FYI).