Ready, set, go! Evaluating readiness to implement competency-based medical education.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Successful innovation implementation hinges on organizational readiness.
• Competence by Design (CBD) is a novel Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) model.
• Assessing readiness is crucial for effective CBME adoption in postgraduate training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the organizational readiness of Canadian postgraduate programs for implementing Competence by Design (CBD).
• To identify specific areas of strength and challenge in program preparedness for CBME transition.
• To inform future interventions aimed at enhancing program readiness for CBD.

Main Methods:

• A survey assessing organizational readiness was distributed to program directors one month before CBD implementation in 2019.
• The survey utilized the R = MC² framework, examining program motivation, general change capacity, and innovation-specific capacity.
• An ANOVA was employed to compare overall readiness scores across different medical disciplines.

Main Results:

• The overall readiness score averaged 74%, with no significant differences between disciplines.
• Most programs viewed CBD implementation as a priority (74%) and reported strong leadership (94%) and faculty/resident support (87%).
• Fewer programs perceived CBD as a positive direction (58%) or a manageable change (53%); less than 50% engaged off-service disciplines.

Conclusions:

• Canadian postgraduate programs demonstrated varied readiness for CBD implementation, excelling in some areas while facing common challenges.
• Key areas for improvement include fostering the perception of CBD as a positive and manageable change.
• Targeted interventions are needed to address specific challenges and enhance overall program readiness for successful CBME adoption.