Resident Case Volumes Following the Introduction of Competency-Based Medical Education in Diagnostic Radiology: A 10...

A Canadian Diagnostic Radiology residency program implemented a competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum in 2017 (Q-CBME), followed by the national Competence by Design (CBD) model in 2022. These frameworks emphasize progression through frequent assessment of competencies rather than time in training. However, concerns remain that the time burden or "tick-box" mentality in the context of increased assessments may decrease clinical exposure. This study evaluated whether CBME implementation affected resident clinical case volumes compared to a traditional time-based curriculum.

Using Nuance mPower Clinical Analytics, case volumes were extracted for residents in traditional (n=9), Q-CBME (n=16), and CBD (n=5) curricula during their first abdominal, chest, and neuroimaging rotations. Volumes were normalized by days worked and averaged by cohort. A secondary analysis compared total volumes between traditional (n=8) and Q-CBME (n=12) residents over the entirety of residency. Comparisons were made using ANOVA and independent t-tests.

ANOVA revealed significant difference in abdominal CT volumes (p=0.0002). T-tests showed significant difference for neuroradiology CT (traditional vs CBD, p=0.0008), abdominal CT (traditional vs Q-CBME, p=0.0015; traditional vs CBD, p=0.0005), and chest X-ray (Q-CBME vs CBD, p=0.0262). Whole-residency analysis found significant differences only in MRI (p=0.0195) and nuclear medicine (p=0.0003). In all significant differences between a CBME and traditional cohort, Q-CBME and CBD had higher mean volumes.

CBME offers opportunities for enhanced feedback and mentorship. This study found no reduction in resident case volumes under CBME, supporting the view that competency-based training can maintain, or even increase, clinical exposure. Given prior findings linking case volume to competency, these results support continued CBME adoption in radiology training.