Operating Without Direct Supervision During Pediatric Surgery Fellowship: When, How, and Why?

In brief

This article examines the critical issue of operative autonomy in pediatric surgery fellowship training, addressing concerns that trainees may lack sufficient unsupervised surgical experience before entering independent practice. It explores the implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) as a framework for assessing when and how fellows should operate independently during training.

• Graduating pediatric surgery fellows may lack readiness for independent practice due to insufficient unsupervised operative experience during training.
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) provide a framework for assessing when fellows can safely operate without direct supervision.
• Current training policies need evaluation to ensure fellows achieve appropriate operative autonomy before completing fellowship.

Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.