Scoping review: exploring residents’ views of supervisor entrustment and its effect on learning and professional development

Abstract

This scoping review aimed to systematically explore the complex and nuanced perceptions of residents entrusted with significant responsibilities by their supervisors in the clinical context. We conducted a comprehensive search strategy targeting six major electronic databases. Data were extracted using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist and a scoping review protocol. Resident perceptions regarding entrustment and its impact on learning and professional development were categorized. This review elucidated the role of supervisor entrustment in shaping residents’ clinical performance, notably influencing autonomy, self-confidence, responsibility for patients, learning needs and goals, uncertainty management, and professional identity formation. Residents identified factors that promote and hinder performance and entrustment development resulting from supervisor entrustment and distinguished between appropriate supervision and over- or under-supervision. Our review suggests that residents’ perceptions of supervisor entrustment, as bestowed by supervisors, serves as a catalyst for enhancing autonomy, thereby exerting a significant influence on clinical performance, and fostering the development of a professional identity. However, residents’ views on appropriate supervision differ in some ways from supervisors’ perspectives. Further research is needed to bridge the gap between residents’ expectations of autonomy and what they are given, and to explore the intricate relationship between autonomy and entrustment.