Entrustable Professional Activities in Hematopathology Pathology Fellowship Training: Consensus Design and Proposal

Authors

Kristie White, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
Julianne Qualtieri, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Elizabeth L. Courville, Department of Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Rose C. Beck, Department of Pathology, University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
Bachir Alobeid, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
David R. Czuchlewski, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Julie Teruya-Feldstein, Department of Pathology, Molecular, and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, New York, NY, USA
Lorinda A. Soma, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
Sonam Prakash, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
Dita Gratzinger, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Abstract

Hematopathology fellowship education has grown in complexity as patient-centered treatment plans have come to depend on integration of clinical, morphologic, immunophenotypic, molecular, and cytogenetic variables. This complexity is in competition with the need for timely hematopathology care with stewardship of patient, laboratory, and societal resources. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones provide a guidance document for hematopathology training, but fellows and their educators are in need of a simple framework that allows assessment and feedback of growth toward independent hematopathology practice. Entrustable professional activities provide one such framework, and herein, we provide proposed Hematopathology Fellowship Entrustable Professional Activities based on review of pertinent guidelines and literature, with multiple rounds of expert and stakeholder input utilizing a modified mini-Delphi approach. Ten core entrustable professional activities deemed essential for graduating hematopathology fellows were developed together with skills and knowledge statements, example scenarios, and corresponding Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones. Application of these entrustable professional activities in program design, fellow evaluation, and decisions regarding level of supervision is discussed with consideration of benefits and barriers to implementation. These entrustable professional activities may be used by hematopathology fellowship directors and faculty to provide fellows with timely constructive feedback, determine entrustment decisions, provide the Clinical Competency Committee with granular data to support Milestone evaluations, and provide insight into areas of potential improvement in fellowship training. Fellows will benefit from a clear roadmap to independent hematopathology practice with concrete and timely feedback.

Recommended Citation

White K, Qualtieri J, Courville EL, Beck RC, Alobeid B, Czuchlewski DR, Teruya-Feldstein J, Soma LA, Prakash S, Gratzinger D. Entrustable Professional Activities in Hematopathology Pathology Fellowship Training: Consensus Design and Proposal. Acad Pathol. 2021 Feb 17;8:2374289521990823. doi: 10.1177/2374289521990823. PMID: 33644302; PMCID: PMC7894592.