Making our way toward the peak of Competence by Design
Dear colleagues,
As 12 new disciplines prepare for a July 2019 launch of Competence by Design (CBD), I wanted to talk a bit about what’s to come in the months ahead and take a moment to reflect on the amazing progress we all have made toward CBD implementation.
This coming July will mark a total of 20 disciplines which will have launched the ship to a competency-based model of residency education, and more than half of Royal College disciplines are either actively in, or have completed, the preparation process. This is significant progress and something all partners can take pride in.
We rely on the ongoing dialogue with faculty and learners on the front lines of implementation to help us identify and overcome challenges, as well as provide more support when needed. This openness has resulted in a good deal of realistic feedback from participants, which helps us collect and share lessons learned and leading practices from the early adopters of CBD and apply them to remove barriers.
I encourage you to read our latest edition of CBD Community Touchpoint, which includes an interview with Dr. David Horne, program director of the division of Cardiac Surgery at Dalhousie University. In the article, Dr. Horne gives advice on transitioning to CBD – one of his points being that preparation is key in reducing change anxiety, preparing faculty to be comfortable in their evolved role and reassuring trainees that they own a greater part of their education. He also emphasizes the need for an engaged team including administrators and learners. In addition to Dr. Horne’s message, this newsletter also explores key themes we are hearing in outreach visits, including the need for more information and development on direct observation, feedback and coaching, as well as simplicity in the collection and recording of data. We have recently released a new version of the mobile ePortfolio app to assist in this regard with plans for further upgrades.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the many individuals who have participated to bring about this change in medical education. PGME is a large and complex system with many individuals and institutions playing an essential role. The work of everyone is noticed and very much appreciated. Please keep the feedback coming to make the process better and best wishes for the upcoming academic year.
Sincerely,
Ken
Kenneth A. Harris, MD, FRCSC
Executive Director, Office of Specialty Education
