Implementing Competence Committees on a National Scale: Design and Lessons Learned

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Competence committees (CCs) are an emerging approach to enhance assessment decision-making in health professions education.
• CCs align with competency-based medical education (CBME) and programmatic assessment principles.
• Limited literature exists on the system-wide implementation of CCs, particularly at a national scale.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's experience implementing a national CC model.
• To identify challenges encountered during large-scale CC implementation.
• To propose strategies for addressing these implementation challenges.

Main Methods:

• The study details the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's national-scale implementation of competence committees.
• It involves analyzing the challenges faced and strategies developed during this process.
• The approach emphasizes lessons learned for future large-scale implementations.

Main Results:

• Managing the balance between standardization and flexibility is crucial for large-scale CC implementation.
• Successful implementation requires considering individual program needs, resources, and stakeholder engagement.
• Multiple engagement and communication strategies are necessary to allow for local adaptations in diverse contexts.

Conclusions:

• Large-scale CC implementation is an evolutionary process demanding upfront resources and continuous support.
• Embedding program evaluation from the outset is essential for transformative initiatives.
• Shared lessons can guide other institutions considering national CBME CC implementation.