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Beyond competence: defining and promoting excellence in anaesthesia.
1Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster, UK. andrew.f.smith@mbht.nhs.uk
Anaesthesia
|December 17, 2009
Summary
Medical training increasingly emphasizes competence over excellence. This review explores concepts and frameworks to foster excellence and professionalism in anaesthesia and beyond.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Professionalism Studies
- Anaesthesiology
Background:
- Modern medical training paradigms prioritize competence (adequate performance) over striving for excellence.
- Professionalism is a key aspect of medical practice, alongside clinical skills and knowledge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on excellence and professionalism in anaesthesia and general medicine.
- To present conceptual frameworks for promoting excellence in medical training.
- To discuss prerequisites for fostering excellence in healthcare professionals.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of published works on excellence and professionalism.
- Analysis of concepts from anaesthesia, general medicine, and other fields.
- Synthesis of frameworks for enhancing medical training standards.
Main Results:
- A shift in medical training focus from excellence to mere competence is observed.
- Various conceptual frameworks for promoting excellence are identified.
- Key prerequisites for cultivating excellence in medical professionals are discussed.
Conclusions:
- There is a need to re-evaluate training objectives to include the pursuit of excellence.
- Adaptable frameworks exist to guide the development of excellence in medical practice.
- Fostering excellence requires addressing specific prerequisites within the training environment.
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