Reimagining the Clinical Competency Committee to Enhance Education and Prepare for Competency-Based Time-Variable...

Area of Science:

• Graduate Medical Education
• Medical Education Assessment
• Competency-Based Education

Background:

• Assessment of residents and clinical fellows is critical for educational planning and optimizing outcomes.
• Historically underemphasized, assessment requirements have strengthened, particularly with competency-based time-variable (CB-TV) graduate medical education (GME).
• The Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) is a key programmatic structure in GME.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) processes within a multi-specialty pilot of CB-TV GME.
• To propose enhancements to CCCs based on literature review and institutional observations.
• To ensure CCCs effectively support trainee development, readiness for practice, and self-assessment.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on medical education assessment and CCCs.
• Examination of CCC processes in multiple GME programs during a CB-TV pilot.
• Analysis of how current CCC processes align with core goals for trainee assessment.

Main Results:

• Current CCC processes may undermine core goals of discerning developmental status, determining readiness for practice, and fostering self-assessment.
• Obstacles and key enablers for effective CCC functioning were identified.
• A need exists to assess and promote competency development for all trainees, not just outliers.

Conclusions:

• CCCs should focus on three core goals: discerning developmental status, determining readiness for unsupervised practice, and fostering self-assessment.
• Strengthening CCC assessment processes, promoting trainee reflection, and implementing coaching for competency are recommended.
• Enhancing assessment tools and frameworks is essential for realizing the potential of competency-oriented education.