Competency-Based Medical Education: Bridging the Gap Between Training and Certification

Description: In this session, leaders from the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), American Board of Surgery (ABS), and American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) will describe their approach to advancing competency-based medical education (CBME) in their specialties. Presenters will describe the practical challenges and potential solutions involved in implementing a comprehensive CBME program designed to improve both education in training and initial certification processes across an entire specialty. One area of focus for this presentation will be the role of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) as part of a comprehensive approach to CBME and assessment. EPAs represent activities that physicians are expected to be able to execute as part of their practice and are based on the needs of our patients and society.

The session will begin with leaders from ABP sharing data from several years of EPA research to better define the problem being addressed and ‘why’ of EPA implementation. This presentation will also include lessons learned from research outlining facilitators and barriers to EPA implementation. Leaders from ABS will then share their experiences developing and implementing EPAs on a national scale, including technologic strategies to facilitate data collection and utilization. The session will conclude with leaders from ABFM describing their progress in implementing CBME across the whole specialty, including revision of residency guidelines, faculty time, a national faculty development initiative, and the large Advancing Innovation in Residency Education (AIRE) program from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Citations and Literature References (if none, write n/a): Lindeman B, Brasel K, et. al. A Phased Approach: The General Surgery Experience Adopting Entrustable Professional Activities in the United States. Acad Med. 2021 Jul 1;96(7S):S9-S13.

Schumacher DJ, West DC, et. al. Longitudinal Assessment of Resident Performance Using Entrustable Professional Activities. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jan 3;3(1):e1919316.

Newton WP, Mitchell KB. Shaping the Future of Family Medicine: Reenvisioning Family Medicine Residency Education. Fam Med. 2021 Jul 7;53(7):490-498. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2021.207197. Epub 2021 Jun 21.