Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions



HOME \| SITE MAP \| CONTACT US
Your Location: Home > Volume 27, Issue 2

CURRENT ISSUE BACK ISSUES SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE ABOUT JCEHP FOR AUTHORS JCEHP AWARD SEARCH		Volume 27 (2) Volume 27, Issue 2, Spring 2007 J Contin Educ Health Prof 2007; 27(2):124 WHITE PAPER The Need for a Specialty Curriculum Based on Core Competencies: A White Paper of the Conjoint Committee on Continuing Medical Education Marcia J. Jackson Harry A. Gallis Stuart C. Gilman Michael Grossman Gerald B. Holzman Damon Marquis Sandra K. Trusky A b s t r a c t At present there is no curriculum to guide physician lifelong learning in a prescribed, deliberate manner. The Conjoint Committee on Continuing Medical Education, a group representing 16 major stakeholder organizations in continuing medical education, recommends that each specialty society and corresponding board reach consensus on the competencies expected of physicians in that specialty. Experts in a specialty will define content-based core competencies in the areas of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. These competencies, when cross-referenced with expertise, comprise a framework for specialty curricula and board maintenance of certification programs. The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Board of Ophthalmology already have implemented this recommendation. Their work is reported as a model for further development. A competencybased curriculum framework offers a foundation for continuing medical education in diverse practice settings and provider organizations. Lessons for Practice Each specialty and subspecialty should develop curricula to support member learning and continuing competence. The curricula should be based on competencies that enable a physician to perform effectively in his or her practice setting and meet the standards of the profession. The competencies should reflect the scope of practice for that specialty area and be defined collaboratively by the specialty and subspecialty societies and related board. Core competencies are those that must be maintained or acquired by all who are certified to practice in a specialty area. The society’s curricula and the board’s maintenance-of-certification activities will be related to these competencies. A competency-based curriculum framework creates a foundation for CME in all practice settings delivered by all types of provider organizations. The framework becomes the linchpin interlinking the individual physician with a competency-based curriculum that relates to his or her scope of practice and relative level of expertise. Key Words: competency, scope of specialty practice, curriculum, core curriculum, curriculum framework, curriculum development, quality care, patient safety, education, medical, continuing.
HOME \| SITE MAP \| CONTACT US Copyright © 1996-2008 JCEHP.com & The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions All rights reserved Disclaimer · About This Site · Web Editor · Make JCEHP Your Homepage Information on this site was last updated: 28 October 2008