In medical contexts around the world, supervising physicians continuously decide what degree of supervision to apply as trainees carry out professional activities. Although the implications for patients can be far-reaching, little is known about how these entrustment decisions are formed. The concept of ‘Entrustable Professional Activities’ has initiated interest and valuable research on factors that may influence the entrustment decision process.The aim of the current article is to link models of entrustment developed in the fields of occupational and organizational psychology and military psychology to medical education studies that have explored the factors influencing physicians’ entrustment decisions. We provide a conceptual framework of the entrustment decision-making process, which we suggest will contribute to the understanding of how supervising physicians arrive at the decision to entrust a medical trainee with a professional activity.

BackgroundInstitutions considering to employ core Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for entry into postgraduate training as outcomes for their undergraduate medical programs can partly build on published examples, but also have to undergo their own content validation process to take their specific context into consideration. This process involves several challenges and is not well-described in the literature. Here, we report in detail on a systematic, literature-based approach we recently utilised at our institution to define core EPAs for entry into residency.Main bodyCentral to the process was a modified Delphi consent procedure. It involved a multistep interaction between a writing team and a multidisciplinary panel of experienced physicians. Panel members provided both quantitative ratings and qualitative feedback on the EPA categories title, specification/limitations, conditions and implications of entrustment decision, knowledge, skills, and attitude. Consent was achieved when a Content Validity Index (CVI) of ≥80% was reached. The writing team adjusted the EPA category descriptions on the basis of panel members´ ratings and comments, and specified the EPA categories’ link to competencies and assessment sources. This process produced a description and definition of a full set of core EPAs for entry into residency adapted to our context.ConclusionsThis process description for locally adapted core EPAs for entry into residency may support and guide other medical schools in the development and implementation of EPAs into their programs.

BackgroundSufficient preparedness is important for transitions to workplace participation and learning in clinical settings. This study aims to analyse medical students’ preparedness for early clerkships using a three-dimensional, socio-cognitive, theory-based model of preparedness anchored in specific professional activities and their supervision level.MethodsMedical students from a competency-based undergraduate curriculum were surveyed about preparedness for 21 professional activities and level of perceived supervision during their early clerkships via an online questionnaire. Preparedness was operationalized by the three dimensions of confidence to carry out clerkship activities, being prepared through university teaching and coping with failure by seeking support. Factors influencing preparedness and perceived stress as outcomes were analysed through step-wise regression.ResultsProfessional activities carried out by the students (n = 147; 19.0%) and their supervision levels varied. While most students reported high confidence to perform the tasks, the activity-specific analysis revealed important gaps in preparation through university teaching. Students regularly searched for support in case of difficulty. One quarter of the variance of each preparedness dimension was explained by self-efficacy, supervision quality, amount of prior clerkship experience and nature of professional activities. Preparedness contributed to predicting perceived stress.ConclusionsThe applied three-dimensional concept of preparedness and the task-specific approach provided a detailed and meaningful view on medical students’ workplace participation and experiences in early clerkships.

BackgroundMigration of physicians has become a global phenomenon with significant implications for the healthcare delivery systems worldwide. The motivations and factors driving physician’s migration are complex and continuously evolving. Purpose of this study is to explore the driving forces in a group of Egyptian physicians and final-years medical students preparing to migrate to Germany.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted based on social constructivism epistemology. In five focus group discussions, there participated a total 12 residents and 6 final-year medical students from 7 different training and workplace locations in Egypt. The participants provided information about their motivation and planning for migration. We applied a coding framework based on the concept of push/pull factors and barriers/facilitators for migration, and used Atlas.ti software for analysis.ResultsThe thematic analysis indicated that the migration within the study’s participants results from a specific weighting of push and pull factors. Push factors are considered to be more important than pull factors. Factors related to professional development play a leading role. The route of migration towards Germany is mainly determined by the low hurdle registration and licensing requirements in this destination country compared to other countries. In some cases, Germany is regarded as a “transit country”, a step on the road to other European countries. The intent, planning and preparation of migration is assisted considerably by the local formation of a community and culture of migration with multiple ways for information exchange, identity building and social support through face-to-face and online channels.ConclusionsThis study specifies – in a group of Egyptian physicians and final-year medical students – the perceived push and pull factors which influenced their intent to migrate to Germany. In addition to the general wealth gap, their particular route of migration is mainly determined by the requirements in licensing and registration procedures for foreign physicians in the potential destination country. The planning and preparation of a move is substantially facilitated by their joining a social network and a community of migrating physicians.