Enabling Implementation of Competency Based Medical Education through an Outcomes-Focused Accreditation System
Date
2/6/2024
Authors
Dalseg, Timothy
Thoma, Brent
Wycliffe-Jones, Keith
Frank, Jason
Taber, Sarah
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Ubiquity Press
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Article
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Abstract
Competency based medical education is being adopted around the world. Accreditation plays a vital role as an enabler in the adoption and implementation of competency based medical education, but little has been published about how the design of an accreditation system facilitates this transformation. The Canadian postgraduate medical education environment has recently transitioned to an outcomes-based accreditation system in parallel with the adoption of competency based medical education. Using the Canadian example, we characterize four features of an accreditation system that can facilitate the implementation of competency based medical education: theoretical underpinning, quality focus, accreditation standards, and accreditation processes. Alignment of the underlying educational theories within the accreditation system and educational paradigm drives change in a consistent and desired direction. An accreditation system that prioritizes quality improvement over quality assurance promotes educational system development and progressive change. Accreditation standards that achieve the difficult balance of being sufficiently detailed yet flexible foster a high fidelity of implementation without stifling innovation. Finally, accreditation processes that recognize the change process, encourage program development, and are not overly punitive all enable the implementation of competency based medical education. We also discuss the ways in which accreditation can simultaneously hinder the implementation of this approach. As education bodies adopt competency based medical education, particular attention should be paid to the role that accreditation plays in successful implementation.
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© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords
Competency based medical education, Accreditation, outcomes-based accreditation system, Canadian postgraduate medical education
Citation
Dalseg TR, Thoma B, Wycliffe- Jones K, Frank JR, Taber S. Enabling Implementation of Competency Based Medical Education through an Outcomes- Focused Accreditation System. Perspectives on Medical Education. 2024; 13(1): 75– 84 . DOI: https:// doi.org/10.5334/pme.963
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DOI
10.5334/pme.963