Establishing Sub-Competencies and Promoting the Professional Identity of Dietitians in Taiwan through the Nominal Group Technique

Abstract

<p>勝任能力為導向醫學教育(Competency-based medical education, CBME)為醫學教育改革的潮流，將核心能力融入臨床任務的可信賴專業活動(entrustable professional activities, EPAs)之訓練與評估架構，為臺灣近期CBME之發展趨勢，而建構職類專業特色的核心能力架構為重要基礎。本專案透過共識方法學，建置教學醫院營養師次核心能力。專案對象由全國教學醫院營養職類臨床指導老師(n=30)組成CBME推展工作小組(CBME Taskforce)，以名義團體法(nominal group technique, NGT)共識及制定營養師15項次核心能力及其說明，並討論新進營養師七大EPAs任務(http://www.dietitians.org.tw/program/view/17)之相對應次核心能力(EPAs- sub-competencies matrix)，以Likert Scale問卷調查顯示86%(26/30)專家非常認同「共識核心能力及次核心能力後，EPAs更有助於提升專業認同」。本專案首度提出臺灣教學醫院營養師核心能力框架及對應EPAs之次核心能力，共識過程對凝聚專業認同有助益。</p> <p> </p><p>Competency-based medical education (CBME) has become increasingly prominent in efforts to reform medical education. This approach integrates core competencies into a framework for training and evaluation, known as entrustable professional activities (EPAs), and is gaining traction in Taiwan. A foundational step in this approach is the establishment of a framework of profession-specific core competencies. This project used consensus methodology and the nominal group technique (NGT) to establish sub-competencies for dietitians in teaching hospitals. A CBME taskforce, composed of clinical dietitian instructors (n = 30) from teaching hospitals nationwide, employed the NGT to reach consensus on a 15-item framework for the sub-competencies of dietitians and on the descriptions of these competencies. The project also developed an EPA–sub-competency matrix corresponding to the seven major EPAs for entry-level dietitians (http://www.dietitians.org.tw/program/view/17). A questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale revealed that 86% (26/30) of participants strongly agreed that “after consensus on the core and sub-competencies is achieved, EPAs are more effective in cultivating a professional identity.” This project is the first to propose a competency framework and corresponding EPA–sub-competency matrix for entry-level dietitians in teaching hospitals in Taiwan, attesting to the beneficial role of the consensus process in fostering professional identity. </p> <p> </p>