Continuing Competence in the Health Professions

Abstract

The health professions are confronted with external pressures to assure the public of the continuing competence of health care providers and internal pressures for self-regulation. This article describes the forces driving continuing competence, the difficulty defining the scope of professional competencies for experienced practitioners, the difficulty creating valid measures to evaluate continuing competence, and the need for shared responsibility and collaboration among regulatory boards, professional associations, and specialty certification programs. The article presents findings from the Study of Professions, which was based on literature review, document review, and telephone interviews with key informants from 13 regulated health professions.

The development and empirical validation of the Q-PDN: A questionnaire measuring continuing professional development of nurses

“…Time to attend courses and to complete assignments is an important condition to participate in CPD activities, as is employer support (Murphy et al, 2006). Regarding the importance attached to CPD and the actually undertaken CPD activities, some nurses participate in CPD programs only to allow them to continue practicing (Grossman, 1998;Lawton and Wimpenny, 2003). Other studies indicate that nurses participate in CPD from a felt need to expand their own knowledge (Lindsay, 1990;Larcombe and Maggs, 1991;Thurston, 1992;O'Connor, 1992).…”

Professional competencies in vocational rehabilitation: Results of a Delphi study

“…Professional competence is not an easy concept to define 13,37,38 with no generally accepted description. Grossman 38 states that competence includes a person's knowledge, skills and clinical judgement as well as practice environmental demands.…”

“…Grossman 38 states that competence includes a person's knowledge, skills and clinical judgement as well as practice environmental demands. For the purposes of this research, professional competencies refer to the sum total of capacities which an occupational therapist possesses and which are believed relevant to the field of vocational rehabilitation practice 12 .…”

Why occupational therapy needs evidence of participation in continuing professional development

“…Participation in continuing professional development does not guarantee that an occupational therapist will practice safely, and nor is it a guarantee of professional competence (Grossman, 1998). Nevertheless, links have been established between participation in activities to update and improve knowledge and skills and maintenance of professional competence (Thomson, Lieberman, Murphy, Wendt & Poole, 1997).…”