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Education beyond competencies: a participative approach to professional development
1St Catherine's Hospice, Crawley, West Sussex, UK. cathygleeson@stch.org.uk
Medical Education
|May 7, 2010
Summary
Postgraduate medical training can be enhanced by fostering collaborative learning environments where doctors share experiences. This approach moves beyond competency-based education to build expertise within a community of practice.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Palliative Medicine
- Professional Development
Background:
- UK medical training curricula increasingly focus on work-based learning and competency assessment.
- The sufficiency of competency-based training for preparing doctors for complex consultant roles is debated.
- A novel postgraduate education approach in palliative medicine is presented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend learning beyond behaviorist competency frameworks.
- To facilitate knowledge and experience sharing among medical professionals.
- To explore a social constructivist approach to postgraduate medical education.
Main Methods:
- A weekly specialty education session for seven doctors over four cycles (2008).
- Participative action research methodology employed.
- Qualitative analysis of semi-structured group discussions, interviews, and participant feedback.
Main Results:
- A discussion framework aligned with the specialty curriculum was developed.
- Participants highly valued peer experience, finding collegial discussion supportive and stimulating.
- Structured learning, including planning and summarising, enhanced the educational experience.
Conclusions:
- Doctors' education should include opportunities for expertise sharing with experienced colleagues.
- A small-group learning program based on social constructivist principles and community of practice was developed.
- The model, facilitated by the palliative medicine context, may be adaptable to other specialties with small trainee groups.
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