6. CanMEDSification: The role of postgraduate medicine office in supporting the learning and teaching of CanMEDs Roles

Abstract

The Postgraduate Medical Education Office at the University of Toronto has implemented a range of faculty development initiatives targeted at supporting the full implementation of CanMEDS roles and competencies in the day to day learning, teaching and evaluation of residents across the highly distributed postgraduate medicine training programs. In October 2005, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) released a revised version of the CanMEDS roles. In June 2006, the RCPSC accreditation standards for postgraduate medicine changed some standards which result in an increased expectation of implementation of the CanMEDS roles in teaching and evaluation of residency programs. 
 From 2005 to 2007, there have been numerous initiatives by the Postgraduate Medical Education Office to support the understanding and implementation of the CanMEDS roles into the learning, evaluation and outcomes of postgraduate training at the University of Toronto. The PGME Office supported the ‘CanMEDSification’ or integration of the CanMEDS framework by: 1) Supporting the development of teacher/faculty teaching and evaluation resources; 2) Providing faculty development in the understanding of these competencies; 3) Providing explicit program feedback through the Internal Review process
 The CanMEDS roles have been widely integrated into teaching and evaluation at the University of Toronto. The high attendance rates at workshops and positive workshop evaluations indicate the value of centralized faculty development initiatives and also indicate an increasing confidence in using CanMEDS. The workshop evaluations also indicate a need for additional faculty development in evaluating the non Medical Expert roles. 
 Shorter E. Oxford English Dictionary (5th ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002.
 Harris, IB. Deliberative inquiry: The arts of planning. in E.C. Short (ed.), Forms of curriculum inquiry. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991; 285-307.
 Harris, IB. New expectations for professional competence. In L. Curry & J. F. Wergin (Eds.), Educating professionals: Responding to new expectations for competence and accountability. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993; 17-52.