Entrustable Professional Activities

EPA 2: Supervision and teaching

EPA 2

Supervision and teaching

Supervise and teach professional colleagues

This activity requires the ability to:

  • provide work-based teaching in a variety of settings
  • teach professional skills
  • create a safe and supportive learning environment
  • plan, deliver, and provide work-based assessments
  • encourage learners to be self-directed and identify learning experiences
  • supervise learners in day-to-day work, and provide feedback
  • support learners to prepare for assessments

Professional practice framework domain

Medical expertise

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • combine high-quality care with high-quality teaching
  • explain the rationale underpinning a structured approach to decision making
  • consider the patient-centric view during consultations
  • consider the population health effect when giving advice
  • encourage the learner to consider the rationale and appropriateness of investigation and management options

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • teach learners using basic knowledge and skills

Communication

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • listen and convey information clearly and considerately
  • establish rapport and demonstrate respect for junior colleagues, medical students, and other health professionals
  • communicate effectively when teaching, assessing, and appraising learners
  • actively encourage a collaborative and safe learning environment with learners and other health professionals
  • encourage learners to tailor communication as appropriate for different patients, such as younger or older people, and/or different populations
  • support learners to deliver clear, concise, and relevant information in both verbal and written communication

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • observe learners to reduce risks and improve health outcomes

Quality and safety

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • support learners to deliver quality care while maintaining their own wellbeing
  • apply lessons learnt about patient safety by identifying and discussing risks with learners
  • assess learners' competence, and provide timely feedback to minimise risks to care
  • maintain the safety of patients and organisations involved with education, and appropriately identify and action concerns

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • observe learners to reduce risks and improve health outcomes

Teaching and learning

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • demonstrate knowledge of the principles, processes, and skills of supervision
  • provide direct guidance to learners in day-to-day work
  • work with learners to identify professional development and learning opportunities based on their individual learning needs
  • offer feedback and role modelling
  • participate in teaching, and supervise professional development activities Teaching and learning
  • encourage self-directed learning and assessment
  • develop a consistent and fair approach to assessing learners
  • tailor feedback and assessment to learners’ goals
  • seek feedback and reflect on own teaching by developing goals and strategies to improve
  • establish and maintain effective mentoring through open dialogue
  • support learners to identify and attend formal and informal learning opportunities
  • recognise the limits of personal expertise, and involve others appropriately

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • demonstrate basic skills in the supervision of learners
  • not tailor learning, assessment, and feedback to individual learners
  • not match teaching and learning objectives clearly to outcomes
  • not encourage learners to be self-directed

Research

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • clarify junior colleagues’ research projects’ goals and requirements, and provide feedback on the merits or challenges of proposed research
  • monitor the progress of learners’ research projects regularly, and may review research projects prior to submission
  • support learners to find forums to present research projects
  • encourage and guide learners to seek out relevant research to support practice

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • guide learners with respect to the choice of research projects
  • ensure that the research projects planned are feasible and of suitable standards

Cultural safety

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • role model a culturally appropriate approach to teaching
  • encourage learners to seek out opportunities to develop and improve their own cultural competence
  • encourage learners to consider culturally appropriate care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori peoples in patients’ management
  • consider cultural, ethical and religious values and beliefs in teaching and learning

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • function effectively and respectfully when working with and teaching with people from different cultural backgrounds

Ethics and professional behaviour

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • apply principles of ethical practice to teaching scenarios
  • act as a role model to promote professional responsibility and ethics among learners
  • respond appropriately to learners seeking professional guidance

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • demonstrate professional values including commitment to high-quality clinical standards, compassion, empathy, and respect
  • provide learners with feedback to improve their experiences

Judgement and decision making

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • prioritise workloads and manage learners with different levels of professional knowledge or experience
  • link theory and practice when explaining professional decisions
  • promote joint problem solving Judgement and decision making
  • support a learning environment that allows for independent decision making
  • use sound and evidence-based judgement during assessments and when communicating feedback to learners, and escalate concerns about learners appropriately
  • escalate concerns about learners appropriately

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • provide general advice and support to learners
  • use health data logically and effectively to investigate difficult diagnostic problems

Leadership, management, and teamwork

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • maintain personal and learners’ effective performances and continuing professional development Leadership, management, and teamwork
  • maintain professional, clinical, research and/or administrative responsibilities while teaching
  • create an inclusive environment in which learners feel part of the team
  • help to shape organisational culture to prioritise quality and work safety through openness, honesty, shared learning, and continued improvement

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • demonstrate the principles and practice of professionalism and leadership in health care
  • participate in mentor programs, career advice, and general counselling

Health policy, systems, and advocacy

confident
Ready to perform without supervision

Expected behaviours of a trainee who can routinely perform this activity without needing supervision

The trainee will:

  • advocate for suitable resources to provide quality supervision and maintain training standards
  • explain the value of health data in the care of patients or populations
  • support innovation in teaching and training

direction
Requires some supervision

Possible behaviours of a trainee who needs some supervision to perform this activity

The trainee may:

  • may not integrate public health principals into teaching and practice