American College of surgeons /Association for Surgical Education Medical Student Simulation-based Surgical Skills Curriculum: Alignment with Entrustable Professional Activities.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that medical experts would concur the American College of Surgeons/Association for Surgical Education Medical Student Simulation-based Surgical Skills Curriculum ("ACS/ASE Curriculum") could be used to teach and assess Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). METHODS: A "crosswalk" was created between ACS/ASE Curriculum modules and eight EPAs. Medical education experts participated in a Delphi process regarding feasibility of using the modules for teaching and assessing EPAs. RESULTS: Twenty-eight educators from six clinical fields participated. There was consensus that five of the EPAs could be taught and assessed by the ACS/ASE Curriculum. A median of nine hours per month outside the surgical clerkship was recommended for skills training. CONCLUSIONS: The ACS/ASE Curriculum lays the framework for implementing select EPAs into medical student education. Experts recommended increased time for skills training with incorporation of the modules into the first three years of medical education, with assessments planned in the third to fourth years.