Health professions education for adapting to change and for participating in managing change

This paper outlines a case for a new approach to the education of future professionals. The magnitude and potential seriousness of changes to be anticipated in the first half of the new century challenge institutions of higher education to prepare their students to become able to adapt themselves to change and to participate in the management of change--not only in relation to their own profession, but more widely for the benefit of society at large. The Network of Community-Oriented Educational Institutions for Health Sciences is planning three major programs which are designed to help meet this challenge in the 21st century. The first of these programs will set out to identify generic competencies that are needed for adapting to change and for participating in managing change. This is to include not only profession-specific changes, but also changes that affect the well-being of society as a whole. The second program will address the related need to develop educational interventions that are designed to foster competencies for interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration. The third of these programs accepts that serious attention to effective education for the professions will require institutionalization of recognition and reward of creativity and commitment in education.