Keynote Address: The Focus on Competencies and Individual Learner Assessment as Emerging Themes in Medical Education Research

Abstract

This article describes opportunities for scholarship in medical education, based on a brief overview of recent changes in medical education. The implications arising from these changes are discussed, with recommendations for focus, and suggestions and examples for making progress in this field. The author discusses 1) the historical context of the current shift toward competency-based medical education, 2) the potential contribution of social and behavioral sciences to medical education scholarship, 3) methods and approaches for supporting scholarship in medical education, and very briefly 4) trends in simulation. The author concludes with a call for quality in medical education scholarship and argues that the most promising and fruitful area of medical education scholarship for the future lies in the field of assessment of individual competence.

Curriculum reform for residency training: competence, change, and opportunities for leadership

“…1 ''Competence'' emerged as the central organizing principle of medical education as a result of recent and fundamental changes in the nature of healthcare. Various factors have significantly impacted the amount of time available for clinician supervision of trainees, including pressure to maintain efficiency of care, changes to patient safety requirements, and the introduction of restrictions on resident duty hours.…”

“…Various factors have significantly impacted the amount of time available for clinician supervision of trainees, including pressure to maintain efficiency of care, changes to patient safety requirements, and the introduction of restrictions on resident duty hours. [1][2][3][4] Moreover, opportunities for residents to practice independently have suffered in this milieu. 5 The concept of competency-based medical education (CBME) arose from this crucible, and various medical licensing bodies champion the initiative, including such education leaders as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) 6 in the United States.…”

“…From within the profession, restrictions have been imposed on resident duty hours across much of North America, forcing programs to cope with losses of teaching and clinical time. 1 This, in turn, has led program administrators to search for innovative ways to develop the knowledge and skills of residents more efficiently. There is also widespread pressure on residency programs from medical regulatory bodies and interest groups (e.g., the RCPSC, the ACGME, and the Future of Medical Education in Canada project) to place a greater emphasis on ensuring trainees' competence.…”

Queen’s University Emergency Medicine Simulation OSCE: an Advance in Competency-Based Assessment

“…7,8 As the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS) moves toward the implementation of competency-based medical education curricula for postgraduate training, 9 the need for tools to accurately assess clinical competencies has become paramount. Traditional knowledge-based examinations (written tests and oral exams) test trainees at a "knows how" level.…”

Executive Summary: Education Research in Emergency Medicine—Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategies for Success

“…The conference was punctuated by didactic sessions led by key international medical education experts and ended with consensus formation in many domains. This issue of AEM presents the exciting results of this process.ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:1319-1322© 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine A divide has traditionally existed in academic medicine between the educator and the researcher. The goal of this conference was to bridge this gap by exploring the principles and practices to help the teacher and the researcher create a unified focus on education research science that will benefit our learners, our educators, our investigators, and most importantly, our patients.…”