Cited by 2,883Innovations in Medical EducationHealth and Medical EducationCompetency Development and Evaluation

Competency-based medical education: Theory to practice.

Frank, Jason R., Snell, Linda S., Cate, Olle Ten, Holmboe, Eric S., Carraccio, Carol, Swing, Susan R., Harris, Peter, Glasgow, Nicholas J. +12 more·2010·Medical Teacher

Abstract

Although competency-based medical education (CBME) has attracted renewed interest in recent years among educators and policy-makers in the health care professions, there is little agreement on many aspects of this paradigm. We convened a unique partnership - the International CBME Collaborators - to examine conceptual issues and current debates in CBME. We engaged in a multi-stage group process and held a consensus conference with the aim of reviewing the scholarly literature of competency-based medical education, identifying controversies in need of clarification, proposing definitions and concepts that could be useful to educators across many jurisdictions, and exploring future directions for this approach to preparing health professionals. In this paper, we describe the evolution of CBME from the outcomes movement in the 20th century to a renewed approach that, focused on accountability and curricular outcomes and organized around competencies, promotes greater learner-centredness and de-emphasizes time-based curricular design. In this paradigm, competence and related terms are redefined to emphasize their multi-dimensional, dynamic, developmental, and contextual nature. CBME therefore has significant implications for the planning of medical curricula and will have an important impact in reshaping the enterprise of medical education. We elaborate on this emerging CBME approach and its related concepts, and invite medical educators everywhere to enter into further dialogue about the promise and the potential perils of competency-based medical curricula for the 21st century.

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Crossref · 10.3109/0142159x.2010.501190

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  • CBME and programmatic assessment have the potential to improve the practice of feedback by promoting frequent observation of learners, feedback conversations, and coaching for improvement.

    “Two recently implemented initiatives in medical education, competencybased medical education (CBME) [9][10][11] and programmatic assessment of learners, 12 have the potential to improve the practice of feedback by promoting frequent observation of learners, feedback conversations, and coaching for improvement.”

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Authors
Frank, J. R., Snell, L. S., Cate, O. T., Holmboe, E. S., Carraccio, C., Swing, S. R., Harris, P., Glasgow, N. J., Campbell, C., Dath, D., Harden, R. M., Iobst, W., Long, D. M., Mungroo, R., Richardson, D. L., Sherbino, J., Silver, I., Taber, S., Talbot, M., & Harris, K. A.
Affiliations
  • University of Ottawa (CA)
  • McGill University (CA)
  • University Medical Center Utrecht (NL)
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (US)
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
  • Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (US)
  • UNSW Sydney (AU)
  • Australian National University (AU)
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (CA)
  • University of Dundee (GB)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • University of Toronto (CA)
  • University of London (GB)
  • Western University (CA)
Corresponding author
Frank, Jason R.
Venue
Medical Teacher
Published
2010-07-27
Volume
32
Issue
8
Pages
638-645
ISSN
  • 0142-159X (ISSN-L)
  • 1466-187X
OpenAlex
W2157641530
Cited by
2,883
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 465 · 2025: 270 · 2024: 228 · 2023: 268 · 2022: 221 · 2021: 261 · 2020: 186 · 2019: 166 · 2018: 168 · 2017: 153 · 2016: 133 · 2015: 139 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 73 · 2012: 50
FWCI
46.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Medical Teacher (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Medical Education
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Competency Development and Evaluation
Keywords
competency-based medical education, medical curriculum development, accountability, student-centered learning, competency definition, medical education reform, consensus conference
MeSH terms
Competency-Based Education, Education, Medical, Undergraduate, Humans, Models, Theoretical, History, 20th Century

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