Background: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic being a global catastrophe, it provided substantial experience to inform infectious diseases residency training. Examining these experiences through contemporary medical education approaches and deriving future educational insights appears to be essential. Objectives: This study addresses this need within a Competency‐Based Medical Education framework by developing Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), along with associated competencies and entrustment information sources. These are specifically tailored to infectious diseases residency training and grounded in real‐world experiences of physicians engaged in COVID‐19 interventions.Methods: A two-phase qualitative design was used. In phase one, expert interviews were conducted with frontline pandemic physicians. Data were analyzed using the Documentary Method, a reconstructive approach capturing not just what professionals say but how they frame and interpret their experiences. In phase two, findings informed the development of an EPA-Competency Matrix for infectious diseases training.Results: Four core themes emerged: (1) navigating transition and uncertainty, (2) rapid learning and communication, (3) acting as public intellectuals, and (4) collaborating under extraordinary conditions. Analysis yielded 3 EPA titles and 3 nested EPAs, each with specified knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These were incorporated into the EPA-Competency Matrix with recommendations for entrustment decision sources.Conclusion: This research presents a practice-informed EPA framework aimed at enhancing pandemic preparedness within infectious diseases training. By integrating physician narratives with educational design, it effectively connects clinical realities with curricular development, providing practical guidance for competency-based medical education. Furthermore, it can be modified for application in other specialties that may encounter future global health crises.
Şükrü Erhan Bağcı (Wed,) studied this question.