Competency-based Training Curriculum Research Articles

The evolutional aspect of change in the training conditions of neurosurgical residents

Background: The Korean Neurosurgical Society’s 60th anniversary in 2022 compelled us to reflect on the changes within the education programs of neurosurgery residents. Traditional apprenticeship has witnessed a structural shift to manual-based education, and content has transitioned from time-based to competency-based education, driven further by the implementation of the 80-hour work-per-week regulation.Current Concepts: Despite reduced training hours, neurosurgery residents strive to gain more surgical participation and research opportunities while working 80 hours per week. To address this conflicting scenario, the Korean Neurosurgical Society implemented proactive measures to enhance resident education. This included the development of a competency-based training curriculum and guidelines for supervising physicians to prepare residents with the essential skills for independence. Additionally, evaluation guidelines and feedback mechanisms were established to provide objective assessments and facilitate self-improvement. Establishing operational guidelines and developing an e-portfolio would help minimize variations in educational effects among residents.Discussion and Conclusion: Failure to adapt to the changing environment, including the 80-hour work week, by maintaining outdated training methods would result in stagnation or a decline in the efficiency of resident education. Therefore, providing a unified educational curriculum and ensuring sustainable, high-quality training according to the evaluation systems of the Korean Neurosurgical Society is essential. This curriculum must be reviewed on an ongoing basis to recognize the society’s expertise and develop educational policies based on scientific evidence and the opinions of society members.

The engagement chasm: Time for competency-based training in employee engagement for healthcare and beyond.

Employee disengagement in healthcare and business is currently at unexceptionally high levels worldwide. Disengagement negatively impacts productivity, profitability, efficiency (waste reduction), innovation, quality, customer satisfaction and experience, staff well-being, safety, mortality, staff attendance, and turnover. Despite its serious detrimental impacts, no dedicated competency-based training curriculum exists for engagement as a competency. To develop a competency-based educational curriculum for an Engagement Competency. A curricular roadmap comprising the following steps was observed 1. Identifying the desired outcomes needed of trainees. These must help fulfill all the Q12 Gallup survey engagement items. 2. Explicitly defining the required Competencies, Entrustable Professional Activities, and Milestones, 3. Selecting the educational activities, and instructional methods, 4. Selecting the tools to assess progress along the milestones, and finally, 5. Designing an evaluation system to assess the outcomes of the engagement competency program. We developed an Engagement Competency Framework with 7 Entrustable Professional activities "rationally and practically" arranged. These are: Envision E1, Embrace E2, Empower E3, Enlighten E4, Empathize E5, Energize E6, and Evaluate E7 (the 7Es). The unfortunate global issue of disengagement in healthcare and in the business arena may be practically tackled by introducing Engagement Competency and training. It should be compulsory for all in the "leadership role". Such training may lead to remarkable performance improvement and a happier, more prosperous, and safer world.

Enhancing Integration of Information Literacy in TVET Curriculum in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Effects

Purpose: Information literacy refers to the set of characteristics that enables ordinary learners become wise information consumers and lifelong learners. The set of abilities or skills the learner requires in order to determine information needs, locate, access and evaluate information sources and effectively use resources regardless of the format. There is global acceptance of the need for information literacy among trainees undertaking Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET). Integrating information literacy in the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum has become a necessity. The purpose of this study was to investigate how TVET trainees applied information literacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to ascertain the trainees` uptake of e-learning and establish the strategies laid down for integration of information literacy in TVET curriculum.
 Methodology: Descriptive research design was adopted. The Nyeri National Polytechnic was purposively sampled due to the availability of respondents and familiarity of the researcher to object of research. A target population of 1000 library users at diploma, certificate and artisan levels was used. Data was collected using researcher-administered questionnaire. Data was organized and analysed using frequency distribution, percentages and mean.
 Findings: TVET Institutions were found to have moderately adopted integration of information literacy in TVET curriculum. The results indicate that 54% of trainees applied information literacy skills during the virtual learning sessions during COVID-19 pandemic. However, inadequate information literacy among trainees contributed to non-effective use of the e-resources.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: To this end, TVET institutions need to put in place strategies for enhancing integration of information literacy in TVET curriculum. The strategy on orientation and continuous user education by librarians aims at improving the trainees ‘information literacy. Trainees stand to benefit through integration of information literacy in the curriculum and institutions should put in place mechanism to adopt this integration.

Competencies for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Postgraduate Medical Education: Expert Consensus Using a Modified Delphi Process.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is recommended in Canadian guidelines as a first-line treatment for major depressive disorder. With the shift towards competency-based medical education, it remains unclear how to determine when a resident is considered competent in applying knowledge of rTMS to patient care. Given inconsistencies between postgraduate training programmes with regards to training requirements, defining competencies will improve the standard of care in rTMS delivery. The goal of this study was to develop competencies for rTMS that can be implemented into a competency-based training curriculum in postgraduate training programmes. A working group drafted competencies for postgraduate psychiatry trainees. Fourteen rTMS experts from across Canada were invited to participate in the modified Delphi process. Ten experts participated in all three rounds of the modified Delphi process. A total of 20 items reached a consensus. There was improvement in the Cronbach's alpha over the rounds of modified Delphi process (Cronbach's alpha increased from 0.554 to 0.824) suggesting improvement in internal consistency. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) increased from 0.543 to 0.805 suggesting improved interrater agreement. This modified Delphi process resulted in expert consensus on competencies to be acquired during postgraduate medical education programmes where a learner is training to become competent as a consultant and/or practitioner in rTMS treatment. This is a field that still requires development, and it is expected that as more evidence emerges the competencies will be further refined. These results will help the development of other curricula in interventional psychiatry.

Strategy In Support Of Micro, Small And Medium Agro-Based

This study aims to identify and evaluate the factors including internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external scope (opportunities and threats) in determining the strategy of the Balai Diklat in support the growth of agro-based micro, small and medium enterprises in Makassar City, as well as to determine the Balai Diklat strategy with a deep SWOT analysis support the growth of small and medium agro-based enterprises in the City Area Makassar. Data collection techniques use observation, documentation, interview, with the analysis used is the SWOT analysis. Research result indicates that the factors comprising the internal environment with pay attention to the strengths and weaknesses and the external environment, namely opportunities and threats. Wherefrom the analysis of the internal and external environment hence the results of this study the Makassar Industrial Education and Training Center still has strength and great opportunities in overcoming weaknesses and threats. From the analysis of the results of strategy determination using SWOT analysis, including strategic planning, strategy determination, and decision-making stages regarding the strategy, the strategy carried out by BDI Makassar in encouraging the growth of agro-based micro, small and medium enterprises
 Develop competency-based training modules and curriculum, Implement monitoring and evaluating programs/activities, recruiting processing machine instructors, general graphic and functional design instructor, Organizing 3 in 1 training, competency-based industrial system training and business incubator, and Improve the quality of human resources by attending training, industrial apprenticeships and writing KTI.

Retinopathy of prematurity: Overview and highlights of an initiative to integrate prevention, screening, and management into the public health system in India.

Purpose:In India, more than 800 special newborn care units (SNCUs) have been established since 2008 in government facilities. More preterm infants are now surviving and blindness from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is increasing. The aim of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust's initiative (2012–1019) was to improve the quality of neonatal care and integrate ROP services into the government health system using expertise in the government and nongovernment sector in four states in a sustainable and scalable manner.Methods:State Ministries of Health were engaged and collaboration was established between three government programs (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, and blindness prevention) and relevant professionals. Extensive training took place and equipment was provided. Implementation was guided by a multidisciplinary National Task Force and was monitored by state coordination committees. The Task Force appointed technical expert groups to support implementation through advocacy, information, education and communication materials, operational guidelines, a competency-based training curriculum, and an online database and website.Results:Twenty-two ophthalmologists in government facilities were trained to screen for ROP and nine to treat ROP. Almost 13,500 preterm infants were screened in 17 SNCUs and 86% of the 456 infants with sight-threatening ROP were treated. An educational resource using latest pedagogy based on key domain areas for best practices for small and preterm neonates including ROP has been developed and pilot tested and is being evaluated and scaled up.Conclusion:All four states are scaling up services or have plans to scale up, and several other states have started the initiatives.

Standard Setting of Competency in Mastoidectomy for the Cross-Institutional Mastoidectomy Assessment Tool.

Competency-based surgical training involves progressive autonomy given to the trainee. This requires systematic and evidence-based assessment with well-defined standards of proficiency. The objective of this study is to develop standards for the cross-institutional mastoidectomy assessment tool to inform decisions regarding whether a resident demonstrates sufficient skill to perform a mastoidectomy with or without supervision. A panel of fellowship-trained content experts in mastoidectomy was surveyed in relation to the 16 items of the assessment tool to determine the skills needed for supervised and unsupervised surgery. We examined the consensus score to investigate the degree of agreement among respondents for each survey item as well as additional analyses to determine whether the reported skill level required for each survey item was significantly different for the supervised versus unsupervised level. Ten panelists representing different US training programs responded. There was considerable consensus on cut-off scores for each item and trainee level between panelists, with moderate (0.62) to very high (0.95) consensus scores depending on assessment item. Further analyses demonstrated that the difference between supervised and unsupervised skill levels was significantly meaningful for all items. Finally, minimum-passing scores for each item was established. We defined performance standards for the cross-institutional mastoidectomy assessment tool using the Angoff method. These cut-off scores that can be used to determine when trainees can progress from performance under supervision to performance without supervision. This can be used to guide training in a competency-based training curriculum.

Evolution to a Competency-Based Training Curriculum for Pharmaceutical Medicine Physicians in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, Pharmaceutical Medicine has existed as one of 46 physician specialties accredited by the Federal Office of Public Health for more than 20 years. As a medical-scientific discipline, our goal is to enable best possible therapeutic coverage for the benefit of patients and society through a medical need-based development and optimal use of medicinal products. The role of the specialist in Pharmaceutical Medicine is to closely collaborate with various stakeholders of the healthcare system in the context of the discovery, research, development and approval of new medicinal products, as well as safe and effective use of new and established medicinal products in daily clinical practice. The post-graduate training consists of 2 years of patient-related clinical work, followed by 3 years of vocational training at certified training centers in Pharmaceutical Medicine. This also includes completion of an academic post-graduate diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine (30 ECTS) according to the IFAPP/PharmaTrain syllabus and a 1 day board exam. As part of an ongoing revision of the training curriculum, we are developing a Swiss Catalog of Core Competencies in Pharmaceutical Medicine (SC3-PM), based on the IFAPP competency framework for drug development specialists in industry. In this article we discuss how we adapt the scope of the IFAPP competency framework to better reflect such roles in academic institutions or regulatory bodies in Switzerland.

Curriculum for neurogastroenterology and motility training: A report from the joint ANMS-ESNM task force.

Although neurogastroenterology and motility (NGM) disorders are some of the most frequent disorders encountered by practicing gastroenterologists, a structured competency-based training curriculum developed by NGM experts is lacking. The American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS) and the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (ESNM) jointly evaluated the components of NGM training in North America and Europe. Eleven training domains were identified within NGM, consisting of functional gastrointestinal disorders, visceral hypersensitivity and pain pathways, motor disorders within anatomic areas (esophagus, stomach, small bowel and colon, anorectum), mucosal disorders (gastro-esophageal reflux disease, other mucosal disorders), consequences of systemic disease, consequences of therapy (surgery, endoscopic intervention, medications, other therapy), and transition of pediatric patients into adult practice. A 3-tiered training curriculum covering these domains is proposed here and endorsed by all NGM societies. Tier 1 NGM knowledge and training is expected of all gastroenterology trainees and practicing gastroenterologists. Tier 2 knowledge and training is appropriate for trainees who anticipate NGM disorder management and NGM function test interpretation being an important part of their careers, which may require competency assessment and credentialing of test interpretation skills. Tier 3 knowledge and training is undertaken by trainees interested in a dedicated NGM career and may be restricted to specific domains within the broad NGM field. The joint ANMS and ESNM task force anticipates that the NGM curriculum will streamline NGM training in North America and Europe and will lead to better identification of centers of excellence where Tier 2 and Tier 3 training can be accomplished.

A Unique Lymphaticovenous Supermicrosurgery Training Curriculum: Reflections on Validation and Competency Thresholds.

Summary:Supermicrosurgery is becoming a commonly used technique in various subspecialties of reconstructive surgery. However, there is a lack of standardization and validation in novel supermicrosurgical training. Current simulation training programs are not adequately focused on the challenges encountered during clinical supermicrosurgery practice. This article describes the authors’ experience utilizing a supermicrosurgery competency-based training curriculum, in a simulation-based environment, toward safe clinical practice for lymphatic submillimeter supermicrovascular surgery. This article demonstrates the senior authors’ (I.K.) Halstedian competency-based curriculum for lymphaticovenous anastomosis training. Further, a step-by-step training utilizing the chicken thigh and the living rat high fidelity simulation models, which subsequently allows supervised one-to-one clinical training with verified clinical competency outcomes, are demonstrated.

Constructing a competency-based bariatric surgery fellowship training curriculum

BackgroundBariatric fellowship training after general surgery has historically been time based and competence was determined at completion based on a minimum number of cases during the fellowship. Graduate medical education is moving toward competency-based medical education where learners are evaluated during the course of their training and competence assessment occurs throughout. ObjectivesThe Executive Council of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) at the direction of the American Board of Surgery wanted to transition the bariatric surgery fellowship curriculum from its traditional format to a competency-based curriculum using competency-based medical education principles. MethodsThe ASMBS Education and Training Committee established a task force of 9 members to create a new curriculum and all of the necessary evaluation tools to support the curriculum, and initiate a pilot program. ResultsA competency-based curriculum consisting of 6 modules with cognitive and technical milestones, and the innovative evaluation tools needed to evaluate the learners, was created. A pilot program consisting of 10 programs and 19 fellows has been undertaken for the 2016–2017 academic year. ConclusionThe Education Committee of the ASMBS is leading the charge in curriculum development for competency-based medical education for bariatric fellowship.

PWE-423 Human factors training (hft) through simulation based scenarios in endoscopic haemostasis improves teamworking

Introduction In the early 1970s, number of air crashes were attributed to human error. HFT is well recognised for improving safety in aviation. Medical errors rank high amongst the leading causes of death and HFT is increasingly been recognised to reduce errors in CPR and anaesthetics. The value of HFT in endoscopy has not been evaluated. Method We delivered haemostasis and HFT to Gastroenterology Specialty trainee Registrars (StRs) at Lancashire simulation centre. A computer-based life-sized manikin with human physiology emulation capability was used. Its vital signs were controlled remotely. The manikin could talk and was connected to ECG, Pulse rate, SpO2 and BP monitor. Endoscopy equipment and porcine stomach models were used. Haemostatic methods including adrenaline injection, haemoclip placement, Haemospray, Sengstaken tube and Danis stent insertion were practiced. Introductory presentations on Human factors were delivered. 4 scenarios were written to provide ‘high-stress/high-stakes’ events that are encountered infrequently, but where rapid and professional responses are crucial i.e. patients with an upper GI bleed developing periarrest whilst in endoscopy unit. Each scenario involving 5 to 6 StRs was facilitated by Gastroenterologists and Simulation skills educators. Feedback was provided by peer observation. Microteaching was delivered using video assisted debrief. Pre and post course feedback was obtained. Results 23 StRs attended. Prior to this course 55% StRs have had no HFT, 14% had self directed learning, 9% received lectures and 22% had formal workshop based HFT. Data analysis showed improvement in all areas of Human Factor: decision making, situational awareness, team working and leadership skills. On the Likert scale (1 strongly disagree, 5 strongly agree) StRs felt scenarios were useful (Median 5, IQR 1), amount of information was appropriate (Median 5, IQR 1) and hands on training was useful (Median 5, IQR 1). StRs reported increased awareness of managing acutely ill patients in relation to sedation issues (Median 4, IQR 2), principles of resuscitation and fluid management (Median 4, IQR 2), improved leadership, teamwork and communication (Median 5, IQR 1). Qualitative feedback was positive. StRs however recommended smaller groups in future courses. 90% StRs felt that training on Human Factors and their influence on patient safety should be compulsory. Conclusion Human patient simulation provides ‘real life’ environment to observe Human Factors and allows chance to debrief, something that is difficult in the busy workplace. StRs benefit from HFT and report improvement in their skills. We recommend that HFT in endoscopy should be incorporated in competency based training curriculum and rolled out nationally. Disclosure of interest None Declared.

Food Science Education Publications and Websites

Food Science Education Publications and Websites

Developing a competency framework for U.S. state food and feed testing laboratory personnel.

A competency-based training curriculum framework for U.S. state food and feed testing laboratories personnel is being developed by the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) and three partners. The framework will help laboratories catalog existing training courses/modules, identify training gaps, inform training curricula, and create career-spanning professional development learning paths, ensuring consistent performance expectations and increasing confidence in shared test results. Ultimately, the framework will aid laboratories in meeting the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 (2005) international accreditation and the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (U.S. Public Law 111-353). In collaboration with the Association of Food and Drug Officials, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and the Association of American Feed Control Officials, IFPTI is carrying out the project in two phases. In 2013, an expert panel of seven subject matter experts developed competency and curriculum frameworks for five professional levels (entry, mid-level, expert, supervisor/manager, and senior administration) across four competency domains (technical, communication, programmatic, and leadership) including approximately 80 competencies. In 2014 the expert panel will elicit feedback from peers and finalize the framework.

Challenges in Developing Competency-based Training Curriculum for Food Safety Regulators in India.

Context:The Food Safety and Standards Act have redefined the roles and responsibilities of food regulatory workforce and calls for highly skilled human resources as it involves complex management procedures.Aims:1) Identify the competencies needed among the food regulatory workforce in India. 2) Develop a competency-based training curriculum for food safety regulators in the country. 3) Develop training materials for use to train the food regulatory workforce.Settings and Design:The Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, led the development of training curriculum on food safety with technical assistance from the Royal Society for Public Health, UK and the National Institute of Nutrition, India. The exercise was to facilitate the implementation of new Act by undertaking capacity building through a comprehensive training program.Materials and Methods:A competency-based training needs assessment was conducted before undertaking the development of the training materials.Results:The training program for Food Safety Officers was designed to comprise of five modules to include: Food science and technology, Food safety management systems, Food safety legislation, Enforcement of food safety regulations, and Administrative functions. Each module has a facilitator guide for the tutor and a handbook for the participant. Essentials of Food Hygiene-I (Basic level), II and III (Retail/ Catering/ Manufacturing) were primarily designed for training of food handlers and are part of essential reading for food safety regulators.Conclusion:The Food Safety and Standards Act calls for highly skilled human resources as it involves complex management procedures. Despite having developed a comprehensive competency-based training curriculum by joint efforts by the local, national, and international agencies, implementation remains a challenge in resource-limited setting.

Cultural Resources as Sustainability Enablers: Towards a Community-Based Cultural Heritage Resources Management (COBACHREM) Model

People inhabit and change environments using socio-cultural and psycho-social behaviors and processes. People use their socio-cultural understanding of phenomena to interact with the environment. People are carriers of cultural heritage. These characteristics make cultural values ubiquitous in all people-accessed and people-inhabited geographic spaces of the world, making people readily available assets through which environmental sustainability can be implemented. Yet, people’s conservation development is rarely planned using cultural resources. It is against this background that a Community-Based Cultural Heritage Resources Management (COBACHREM) model is initiated as a new approach that outlines the symbiosis between cultural heritage, environment and various stakeholders, with a view to create awareness about neglected conservation indicators inherent in cultural resources and better placed to complement already existing natural resources conservation indicators. The model constitutes a two-phased process with four (04) levels of operation, namely: level I (production); level II (reproduction); level III (consumption) that distinguish specific components of cultural heritage resources to be monitored at level IV for sustainability using identified cultural conservation indicators. Monitored indicators, which are limitless, constitute work in progress of the model and will be constantly reviewed, renewed and updated through time. Examples of monitoring provided in this article are the development of cultural competency-based training curriculum that will assist communities to transform cultural information into certifiable intellectual (educational) and culture-economic (tourism) assets. Another monitoring example is the mainstreaming of community cultural qualities into already existing environmental conservation frameworks such as eco-certification to infuse new layers of conservation indicators that enrich resource sustainability. The technical COBACHREM model acknowledges existing academic frameworks of communal identity formation (e.g., indigenity and autochthony) and is designed to add value onto these.

Midwives and Abortion Care: A Model for Achieving Competency

Throughout history, the care of women's reproductive health needs has included termination of unwanted pregnancy. Unfortunately, access to safe first-trimester abortion is restricted by a lack of skilled providers. In an effort to provide data-based evidence and increase access to first-trimester abortion care in California, the University of California, San Francisco, under the auspices of the Health Workforce Pilot Program, developed a competency-based training model to increase the number of certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who can provide uterine aspiration. This article describes the training program, which uses a curriculum comprising both self-directed didactic material and supervised clinical experience with a minimum of 40 procedures. Successful completion of the program requires passing a written examination and satisfactory achievement of a competency-based clinical assessment. Thirty-eight trainees have completed the training to date, achieving competency following an average of 6 training days. Competency development in the clinical area is monitored by both the trainer and the trainee, using daily and final competency assessments in 4 domains: patient comfort, procedural completeness, speed, and ability to identify problems. Analysis of complications is used to identify concerns about clinician safety. The availability of a competency-based training curriculum for uterine aspiration has the potential to increase the number of first-trimester abortion providers by making training available to experienced clinicians, including nurse-midwives, who would like to provide this care.

Migrating from subject-based to competency-based training in Higher National Diploma Chemical Engineering: The case of Kumasi Polytechnic

Chemical engineering education is currently run in only two institutions in Ghana using the traditional, subject-based approach. The subject-based curriculum currently being used is seen as deficient in preparing students adequately to meet expectations of industry as well as the demands of globalization. Under the National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations of Ghana, competency-based curricula is being developed for Higher National Diploma (HND) engineering programmes in all polytechnics in Ghana, with the support of World Bank and Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education. This paper provides an insight to tertiary education in Ghana and highlights milestones in chemical engineering training. This paper describes the methodology used in developing a competency-based training curriculum for HND chemical engineering. Functional area competency standards expected of HND chemical engineering graduates in Ghana were developed in close collaboration with personnel from industry. In addition, generic competencies expected of all HND engineering graduates in Ghana are outlined in this paper. As is the case in all CBT programmes, there is the need to train and adapt coaches to the CBT concept, in addition to building strong partnerships with industry for the successful implementation of the programme.

Training and assessment of technical skills and competency in cardiac surgery

The assessment of surgical competency has become a priority for both surgical educators and licensing boards. Surgical educators must incorporate rigorous, reliable, and valid means of assessment into residency programs. Objective evaluation of technical skills has been extensively explored in various surgical specialties, but its role in cardiac surgery has not been well studied and there is limited experience with integration into the educational curricula. Several cardiac and vascular surgery simulation models have been designed and evaluated, ranging from simple low-fidelity models using inert materials to a complex, computer-controlled, high-fidelity simulator using biological tissues to practice entire surgical cases. Most of the available models have not been well validated or integrated into educational curricula. The cardiac surgery simulation tools in development need validation and incorporation into structured, competency-based training curricula. The ongoing development of surgical simulators and educational curricula will enable a transition from the century-old graded responsibility training program to a competency-based program, where trainees must demonstrate technical competence to progress to the next level of training and gain certification and re-certification--ultimately ensuring better and faster technical skill acquisition as well as improved quality of care and patient safety.

An Evidence-Based Virtual Reality Training Program for Novice Laparoscopic Surgeons

To develop an evidence-based virtual reality laparoscopic training curriculum for novice laparoscopic surgeons to achieve a proficient level of skill prior to participating in live cases. Technical skills for laparoscopic surgery must be acquired within a competency-based curriculum that begins in the surgical skills laboratory. Implementation of this program necessitates the definition of the validity, learning curves and proficiency criteria on the training tool. The study recruited 40 surgeons, classified into experienced (performed >100 laparoscopic cholecystectomies) or novice groups (<10 laparoscopic cholecystectomies). Ten novices and 10 experienced surgeons were tested on basic tasks, and 11 novices and 9 experienced surgeons on a procedural module for dissection of Calot triangle. Performance of the 2 groups was assessed using time, error, and economy of movement parameters. All basic tasks demonstrated construct validity (Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.05), and learning curves for novices plateaued at a median of 7 repetitions (Friedman's test, P < 0.05). Expert surgeons demonstrated a learning rate at a median of 2 repetitions (P < 0.05). Performance on the dissection module demonstrated significant differences between experts and novices (P < 0.002); learning curves for novice subjects plateaued at the fourth repetition (P < 0.05). Expert benchmark criteria were defined for validated parameters on each task. A competency-based training curriculum for novice laparoscopic surgeons has been defined. This can serve to ensure that junior trainees have acquired prerequisite levels of skill prior to entering the operating room, and put them directly into practice.