Competency Milestones in a Didactic Curriculum: An Innovative Accreditation Compliance Strategy That Enhances...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Assistant Education

Background:

• Competency-based assessment (CBA) is typically used in the clinical phase of physician assistant (PA) programs.
• This study explores implementing CBA during the didactic phase to bridge the gap between education and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative approach to accreditation compliance using CBA in the didactic phase of a PA program.
• To ensure students are ready for clinical rotations through CBA.

Main Methods:

• Developed 22 didactic competencies aligned with programmatic competencies.
• Restructured classroom activities to include clinical reasoning practice, problem-based learning, and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).
• Assessed effectiveness using course outcomes, student perceptions, and preceptor evaluations.

Main Results:

• CBA demonstrated strong alignment between didactic experiences and clinical performance expectations.
• Students reported enhanced clinical reasoning, practical preparation, and value in individualized feedback.
• The approach met accreditation standards for curriculum design, outcome alignment, and effectiveness demonstration.

Conclusions:

• This CBA strategy provides a framework for PA programs to develop rotation-ready students.
• It offers robust documentation for accreditation regarding didactic curriculum design, alignment, and effectiveness.
• The system improved student self-regulation through practice and reflection.