Issues impeding satisfactory outcomes with the competency-based medical education program for undergraduates, and...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Assessment Strategies

Background:

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) introduced competency-based medical education (CBME) for Indian undergraduates in 2019.
• Implementation across medical colleges has been largely unsatisfactory due to significant challenges.
• The CBME program includes over 2800 competencies and 800 skills, with 100 mandatory for certification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the reasons behind the unsatisfactory implementation of CBME assessment.
• To identify deficiencies in achieving the intended outcomes of the CBME curriculum.
• To propose policy changes for effective CBME assessment in India.

Main Methods:

• Focus on identifying key issues in the current CBME assessment process.
• Review of existing assessment practices and their limitations.
• Comparative analysis with international workplace-based assessment methods.

Main Results:

• The primary reason for CBME's unsatisfactory implementation is the lack of substantial change in the assessment process.
• Workplace-based assessment methods, widely used internationally, are not yet widely accepted or notified in India for undergraduate medical students.
• Deficiencies in the intended outcomes are linked to the current assessment framework.

Conclusions:

• Major policy revisions are needed for CBME assessment in India.
• Revising the list of competencies and skills is essential.
• Adopting a combined formative-summative assessment process utilizing workplace-based methods can ensure the development of adequately trained Indian medical graduates.