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EPAs for Surgical Critical Care

Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for surgical critical care are expected to launch in fall 2025.

The Surgical Critical Care EPAs

13 EPAs for the assessment of SCC trainees

There are nine core EPAs and four optional EPAs that will be evaluated for surgical critical care (SCC).

* The surgical critical care EPAs are currently in a review process and are subject to change. Documentation, which will include full descriptions for each EPA, will be available following final review and approval.

Surgical Critical Care EPAs for Trainees

How will SCC EPAs benefit trainees?

Dr. Deborah Stein, chair of the Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board of the ABS, describes how surgical critical care EPAs will benefit trainees by providing more timely feedback than the current model.

Surgical Critical Care EPAs are launching soon

Why are EPAs being implemented?

EPAs and Surgical Critical Care Trainees

An EPA composite profile will be required during CE application

Beginning in 2027, all applicants to the Surgical Critical Care Certifying Exam (SCC CE) will be required to turn in a composite profile across all core EPAs when they apply for the exam. In order to assist trainees in developing a robust composite profile, every trainee should be assessed on every rotation.

All program faculty should be trained to function as assessors to promote reliability and validity of the assessment. The use of EPAs for trainees at all PGY-levels to promote consistent habits of meaningful assessment and feedback, and to provide other assessment economies, is strongly encouraged as a best practice strategy.

For more details and information about EPA development, implementation, evaluation, and more, please review the following resources.

Using EPAs to Support Struggling Residents Infographic

How EPAs can be used to support struggling residents by creating a shared language and a space for constructive...
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How to Use EPAs to Take Charge of Your Training Infographic

An infographic detailing how residents can use EPAs to take charge of their surgical training.
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Prepare for the launch of Surgical Critical Care EPAs

What members of the SCC community are saying

Why is the change to EPAs needed and what do these changes mean for trainees and faculty? Members of the Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board of the ABS share their views on why EPAs are a valuable education tool.

surgeons having a discussion
ABS EPA App Totals

EPAs by the numbers

The implementation of general surgery EPAs began on July 1, 2023. Since then, trainees and staff have been using the ABS EPA app to create and complete assessments. The data below shows the most current EPA numbers.  (Data as of December 31, 2023.) 

Total Completed Assessments
42722
Total Users Created 1 or More Assessment
7000
EPA Publications
Check out our publications related to the ABS EPA project
Contact Us
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