The Role of Competency-Based Occupational Standards in Speech Pathology Education and Governance in Australia

Abstract

Summary: Integrated competency-based occupational standards allow detailed description of the knowledge, skills and attributes which in combination portray competent professional practice . Competency-based occupational standards have been in place within the speech pathology profession in Australia since 1994, and are used for a range of educational and assessment purposes, including assessing eligibility for membership of the Speech Pathology Association of Australia . This paper describes the reasons for and process of development of the standards, the framework for the standards, and how they are used for curriculum development and assessment . The paper also describes the use of CBOS in the development of a validated tool for the assessment of clinical performance .