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Competency-based education (CBE) is a concept, a philosophy, and an approach to educational design where learner progression occurs when competency is demonstrated. It assumes a set of standard defined performance outcomes for any level of professional practice—students, residents, or practicing physical therapists. Those outcomes are based on the health needs of society and guide the curricular design, implementation, and evaluation of health professions education programs. Lack of a CBE framework—with no required demonstration of competence throughout one’s career—has the potential to lead to variation in physical therapists’ skills and to unwarranted variation in practice, potentially hindering delivery of the highest quality of patient care. CBE requires a framework that includes a commonly understood language; standardized, defined performance outcomes at various stages of learner development; and a process to assess whether competence has been demonstrated. The purpose of this perspective article is to (1) highlight the need for a shared language, (2) provide an overview of CBE and the impetus for the change, (3) propose a shift toward CBE in physical therapy, and (4) discuss the need for the profession to adopt a mindset requiring purposeful practice across one’s career in order to safely and most efficiently practice in a given area. Utilizing a CBE philosophy throughout one’s career should ensure high-quality and safe patient care to all—patient care that can adapt to the changing scope of physical therapist practice as well as the health care needs of society. The physical therapy profession is at a point at which we must step up the transition to a competency-based system of physical therapist education.

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