Am I ready for it? Students’ perceptions of meaningful feedback on entrustable professional activities

Background Receiving feedback while in the clinical workplace is probably the most frequently voiced desire of students. In clinical learning environments, providing and seeking performance-relevant information is often difficult for both supervisors and students. The use of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) can help to improve stu-dent assessment within competency-based education. This study aimed to illustrate what students' perceptions are of meaningful feedback viewed as conducive in preparing for performing EPA unsupervised. Methods In a qualitative multicentre study we explored stu-dents' perceptions on meaningful feedback related to EPAs in the clinical workplace. Focus groups were conducted in three different healthcare institutes. Based on concepts from the literature, the transcripts were coded, iteratively reduced and displayed. Results Participants' preferences regarding meaningful feedback on EPAs were quite similar, irrespective of their institution or type of clerkship. Participants explicitly men-tioned that feedback on EPAs could come from a variety of sources. Feedback must come from a credible, trustworthy Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: 10.1007/s40037-017-0361-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. supervisor who knows the student well, be delivered in a safe environment and stress both strengths and points for improvement. The feedback should be provided immedi-ately after the observed activity and include instructions for follow-up. Students would appreciate feedback that refers to their ability to act unsupervised. Conclusion There is abundant literature on how feedback should be provided, and what factors influence how feed-back is sought by students. This study showed that students who are training to perform an EPA unsupervised have clear ideas about how, when and from whom feedback should be delivered. What this paper adds To enhance the educational environment in the workplace, meaningful feedback and valid assessment of students are required. As the literature shows, it is difficult to success-fully apply workplace-based assessments in clinical prac-tice. The use of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) can help to improve student assessment within competency-based education. However, there still is little evidence about what students perceive as useful information to prepare for performing an EPA with less than full supervision. This study aimed to illustrate what students' perceptions are of meaningful feedback viewed as conducive to prepare for the performance of an EPA unsupervised Am I ready for it? Students' perceptions of meaningful feedback on entrustable professional activities