Understanding Competence by Design: the next generation of medical education

The medical education system is an upstream contributor to health care: it is responsible for preparing physicians and surgeons to participate in the health care system. In order to remain accountable to the society and governing bodies that it works to support, the medical education system must work to ensure that every graduate is competent and prepared for practice. Today’s physicians are required to operate in a system that is facing a number of contemporary pressures that did not exist when the current training system was developed. New demands are emerging, owing to the increased complexity of the society that the system serves.

To ensure physicians and surgeons are prepared to deliver the best care possible care within our Canadian systems that continue to evolve rapidly, the Royal College is working with medical education partners across the country to implement a cutting-edge approach to 21st century specialty training.