Competency based medical training: review

摘要

The competency based approach consists of functional analysis of occupational roles, translation of these roles into outcomes, and assessment of trainees' progress on the basis of their demonstrated performance of these outcomes. It has become dominant at most stages of medical training. Potential advantages include individualised flexible training, transparent standards, and increased public accountability. If applied inappropriately, it can result in demotivation, a focus on minimum acceptable standards, increased administrative burden and a reduction in the educational content. We should be cautious of applying the competency based approach universally unless robustly defined higher order competencies are available.