National Recommendations for Implementation of Competency-Based Medical Education in Family Medicine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

New family medicine residency program and graduate board certification requirements necessitate a transition within programs to competency-based medical education (CBME) to ensure that the discipline is training physicians to meet America's health care needs. A task force formed by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) created recommendations for implementation of CBME.

METHODS

The STFM CBME Task Force reviewed papers written by CBME experts and, through group discussions and consensus, drafted recommendations. Feedback on drafts of the recommendations was provided by leaders of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Board of Family Medicine, American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, Association of Departments of Family Medicine, Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, North American Primary Care Research Group, and STFM.

RESULTS

The STFM CBME Task Force created 12 recommendations to guide programs and one recommendation for the specialty of family medicine for implementation of CBME.

CONCLUSIONS

The transformation of the educational framework in family medicine to competency-based is a significant change for programs, learners, faculty, and staff. Residencies and family medicine organizations can reference these national recommendations as they incorporate CBME principles to advance residency education.