Competency-Based Education: The Need to Debunk Misconceptions and Develop a Common Language

Competency-based education (CBE) dates back to the early 1900s. A renewed interest in CBE in health professions education has been sparked by the recommendations that emerged from the 2017 Josiah Macy Jr Foundation conference on CBE. These recommendations urge changes in structure and pedagogy to address gaps between societal needs, health care practice, and health professions education. Despite widespread interest, there is significant variability in what constitutes CBE. This variability has challenged the development of an evidence base in the literature and has led to widespread misconceptions regarding CBE. Implementation science principles outline the need to develop a common language to inform effective and sustained implementation of an innovation. By misusing or overusing similar words and using different concepts interchangeably without first developing a common, widely understood language around CBE, we cannot expect that CBE will be among the tools successful in closing gaps between health care practice and education.