Developing clinical competencies to assess learning needs and outcomes: the experience of the CS2day initiative.

An outcomes-based education (OBE) approach was desired for the CS2day initiative, and the size and scope of the initiative compelled a consistent and cohesive framework in order to apply such an approach. A series of competency statements were developed to provide that framework. The competency statements were based on current clinical guidelines, and further refined through stakeholder interviews and expert feedback. These competency statements were utilized throughout the CS2day initiative as the foundation for needs assessments, activity planning and development, and outcomes measurement. The CS2day partners found these competencies useful in developing over 150 educational activities in the initiative. The competencies became the firm linkages between the needs and outcomes measures used for all CS2day activities, and enabled a summative evaluation to be developed for the entire initiative. This article describes the rationale for developing the competencies, the methods used to deploy them, and the tools that incorporated these competencies.