Restructuring Saudi Board in Restorative Dentistry (SBRD) curriculum using CanMEDS competency

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Competency-Based Medical Education

Background:

• The Canadian Medical Education Directions for Specialists (CanMEDS) 2015 framework provides a comprehensive model for specialist education.
• Adapting global competency frameworks to specific national and specialty contexts is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the process of adopting the CanMEDS 2015 competency framework for the Saudi Board in Restorative Dentistry (SBRD) curriculum.
• To disseminate lessons learned from reconstructing the SBRD curriculum using the CanMEDS framework.

Main Methods:

• Formation of an SBRD curriculum committee and review of the CanMEDS framework.
• Conducting a needs assessment among stakeholders and adopting CanMEDS 2015 competencies.
• Developing a modeled curriculum incorporating feedback, literature review, and the unique context of dentistry.

Main Results:

• The reconstructed SBRD curriculum incorporates unique features such as learning milestones and a continuum of learning.
• Academic activities were restructured to promote interactive, student-centered learning, teamwork, and scholarship.
• Integrated learning outcomes and formative assessment tools were adopted to enhance learning and evaluate clinical skills.

Conclusions:

• This represents the first published example of CanMEDS framework adoption in a dental specialty program.
• The successful curriculum development has prompted interest from other dental specialties to adopt CanMEDS 2015 frameworks.