Are EPAs Actually Working? An Honest Look at Competency-Based Surgical Training

Two years into the EPA era — are we actually training surgeons differently, or just checking new boxes? In this episode, Behind the Knife co-director and Duke Trauma Surgeon Dr. Patrick Georgoff and Behind the Knife surgical education fellows Dr. Agnes Premkumar and Dr. Emma Burke sit down with Dr. Ruchi Thanawala, thoracic surgeon at OHSU, informatician, and founder of Firefly Labs, to get an honest look at the state of competency-based surgical education. We dig into why surgery is uniquely hard to assess, what the data are actually showing (spoiler: significant skewing, and we're not ready to make promotion decisions off it yet), and why collecting assessments is only 25% of the work. If you've ever wondered whether EPAs are moving the needle or just adding noise, this one's for you***FREE EPA COURSE: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/epa-playbookSimply create an account on behindtheknife.org or our app and you the course will automatically show up in your Library.Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.  If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes here: https://behindtheknife.org/listenBehind the Knife Premium: https://behindtheknife.org/premiumOral Board Review: https://behindtheknife.org/oral-boardOral Board Simulator: https://behindtheknife.org/oral-board/simulatorGeneral Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/general-surgery-oral-board-reviewTrauma Surgery Video Atlas: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/trauma-surgery-video-atlasDominate Surgery: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Clerkship: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/dominate-surgery-a-high-yield-guide-to-your-surgery-clerkshipDominate Surgery for APPs: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Rotation: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/dominate-surgery-for-apps-a-high-yield-guide-to-your-surgery-rotationVascular Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/vascular-surgery-oral-board-reviewColorectal Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/colorectal-surgery-oral-board-reviewSurgical Oncology Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/surgical-oncology-oral-board-reviewCardiothoracic Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/cardiothoracic-surgery-oral-board-reviewDownload our App:Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/behind-the-knife/id1672420049Android/Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.btk.app&hl=en_US