National Competency Framework Research Articles

Development and validation of a national clinical pharmacy competency framework for hospital pharmacists in Austria: a multi-method study.

Despite the publication of a European wide competency framework for hospital pharmacy by the European Association of Hospital Pharmacist (EAHP) in 2017, not all countries have adopted and implemented such a framework. This study aimed to develop and validate a bespoke national hospital pharmacy competency framework for Austria that supports the hospital pharmacy workforce development. A multi-method study was carried out in three phases. (I) A systematic literature review across 48 websites of healthcare-related associations and six scientific databases was conducted, identifying competency frameworks, guidelines and related documents. (II) Extracted behaviour competencies were reviewed for contextual national appropriateness by three researchers prior to mapping against the "Patient Care and Clinical Pharmacy Skills" domain of European Common Training Framework (CTF). (III) Validation of the resultant draft clinical skills competency framework took place by an expert panel (n = 4; Austrian Association of Hospital Pharmacists (AAHP) board members) discussion. Reporting of findings is aligned with the recommendations for reporting Competency Framework Development in health professions (CONFERD-HP guidelines) and the PRISMA 2020 checklist. The systematic review (SR) resulted in 28 frameworks, guidelines and related documents and the identification of 379 behaviour competencies, with nineteen mapped to the "Patient Care and Clinical Pharmacy Skills" domain of the CTF (after removal of duplicates). Expert panel discussion resulted in suggested changes to ensure contextual national appropriateness. This study resulted in the development and validation of the first clinical national pharmacy competency framework for Austria. Future studies should focus on political and practical structures necessary for its successful implementation.

Identifying Features of a System of Practice to Inform a Contemporary Competency Framework for Paramedics in Canada.

Paramedic practice is highly variable, occurs in diverse contexts, and involves the assessment and management of a range of presentations of varying acuity across the lifespan. As a result, attempts to define paramedic practice have been challenging and incomplete. This has led to inaccurate or under-representations of practice that can ultimately affect education, assessment, and the delivery of care. In this study, we outline our efforts to better identify, explore, and represent professional practice when developing a national competency framework for paramedics in Canada. We used a systems-thinking approach to identify the settings, contexts, features, and influences on paramedic practice in Canada. This approach makes use of the role and influence of system features at the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, supra-macrosystem, and chronosystem levels in ways that can provide new insights. We used methods such as rich pictures, diagramming, and systems mapping to explore relationships between these contexts and features. When we examine the system of practice in paramedicine, multiple layers become evident and within them we start to see details of features that ought to be considered in any future competency development work. Our exploration of the system highlights that paramedic practice considers the person receiving care, caregivers, and paramedics. It involves collaboration within co-located and dispersed teams that are composed of other health and social care professionals, public safety personnel, and others. Practice is enacted across varying geographical, cultural, social, and technical contexts and is subject to multiple levels of policy, regulatory, and legislative influence. Using a systems-thinking approach, we developed a detailed systems map of paramedic practice in Canada. This map can be used to inform the initial stages of a more representative, comprehensive, and contemporary national competency framework for paramedics in Canada.

House Officers and Junior Residents’ formal and informal learning experience during their practical year compared to the national competency framework, a qualitative study

House Officers and Junior Residents’ formal and informal learning experience during their practical year compared to the national competency framework, a qualitative study

National Competency Framework for Career Professionals: Assessment Forms

This publication contains assessment forms designated to enable guidance professionals, teams, multidisciplinary networks, and organisations to assess their guidance competencies effectively. The forms are based on and complement the National Competency Framework for Career Professionals (Vuorinen, Kasurinen, Kettunen et al., 2023, 2024). The competency framework has been prepared as part of a national development project for lifelong guidance, which is funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility and coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and the Development and Administrative Services Centre (KEHA Centre).

National Competency Framework for Career Professionals : Assessment Forms

This publication contains assessment forms designated to enable guidance professionals, teams, multidisciplinary networks, and organisations to assess their guidance competencies effectively. The forms are based on and complement the National Competency Framework for Career Profes- sionals (Vuorinen, Kasurinen, Kettunen et al., 2023, 2024). Relates to publication: Vuorinen, R., Kasurinen, H., Kettunen, J., Kukkaneva, E., Ruusuvirta-Uuksulainen, O. (2024). A proposal for a National Competency Framework for Career Professionals. Finnish Institute for Educational Research Reports and Working Papers.6.

A proposal for a National Competency Framework for Career Professionals

This publication is a respond to the need presented in the Finnish National Strategy for Lifelong Guidance 2020–2023 (Valtioneuvosto, 2020) to prepare national competence descriptions for the field of guidance. The publication is based on a literature review and co-creation process involving several hundred guidance professionals and experts from all over Finland. Based on the competency framework, Kettunen et al. (2023) have developed assessment forms for career professionals and organisations. The project behind the competency framework development is described in detail in a separate report (Vuorinen et al., 2023). The competency framework proposal has been prepared as part of a national development project for lifelong guidance which is funded by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility and coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and the Development and Administrative Services Centre (KEHA Centre).

French Recommendations for a National Competency Framework of Therapeutic Patient Education in Solid Organ Transplantation.

French Recommendations for a National Competency Framework of Therapeutic Patient Education in Solid Organ Transplantation.

Personalized Precision Medicine for Health Care Professionals: Development of a Competency Framework

Personalized precision medicine represents a paradigm shift and a new reality for the health care system in Spain, with training being fundamental for its full implementation and application in clinical practice. In this sense, health care professionals face educational challenges related to the acquisition of competencies to perform their professional practice optimally and efficiently in this new environment. The definition of competencies for health care professionals provides a clear guide on the level of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to adequately carry out their professional practice. In this context, this acquisition of competencies by health care professionals can be defined as a dynamic and longitudinal process by which they use knowledge, skills, attitudes, and good judgment associated with their profession to develop it effectively in all situations corresponding to their field of practice. This report aims to define a proposal of essential knowledge domains and common competencies for all health care professionals, which are necessary to optimally develop their professional practice within the field of personalized precision medicine as a fundamental part of the medicine of the future. Based on a benchmark analysis and the input and expertise provided by a multidisciplinary group of experts through interviews and workshops, a new competency framework that would guarantee the optimal performance of health care professionals was defined. As a basis for the development of this report, the most relevant national and international competency frameworks and training programs were analyzed to identify aspects that are having an impact on the application of personalized precision medicine and will be considered when developing professional competencies in the future. This report defines a framework made up of 58 competencies structured into 5 essential domains: determinants of health, biomedical informatics, practical applications, participatory health, and bioethics, along with a cross-cutting domain that impacts the overall performance of the competencies linked to each of the above domains. Likewise, 6 professional profiles to which this proposal of a competency framework is addressed were identified according to the area where they carry out their professional activity: health care, laboratory, digital health, community health, research, and management and planning. In addition, a classification is proposed by progressive levels of training that would be advisable to acquire for each competency according to the professional profile. This competency framework characterizes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required by health care professionals for the practice of personalized precision medicine. Additionally, a classification by progressive levels of training is proposed for the 6 professional profiles identified according to their professional roles.

Curriculum Mapping for Curriculum Development: The Notion of "Curriculum Barcoding" in View of the Saudi Medical Education Directives Framework (SaudiMEDs).

Objectives This study aims to map the curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine at Tabuk University to assess its comparability with the SaudiMEDs competency framework. Methodology We developed a checklist based on the essential clinical presentations and skills listed in the SaudiMEDs to map our curriculum and determine the comparability. This cross-sectional descriptive study started on 1 September 2015 until 29 February 2016. The coordinators of the 34 modules completed the checklist and identified whether each clinical presentation or skill is taught in their relevant modules. Results Results showed that our curriculum is lacking in 3.9% of the clinical presentations and 23.9% of the skills deemed necessary by the SaudiMEDs, and require attention. Deficient skills were mainly hospital-based ones. The project yielded a content "expertise" map regarding where the main domains of knowledge and skills in the SaudiMEDs framework are addressed in our curriculum. The "SaudiMEDs barcode" is generated that we hypothesize as a novel method for the description of our program in relation to the national competencyframework. Conclusion Curriculum mapping is a powerful tool for curriculum improvement. Our study elucidated a minor gap in the knowledge domains but a significant one in the essential skills in relation to the SaudiMEDs. We recommend structured training during the internship period as an essential supplement to undergraduate medical qualifications. During our experimentation with curriculum mapping, we articulated the"SaudiMEDs barcode" that we suggest as a novel method for curriculum alignment to the matrix of national competencyand, hopefully, to aid in the accreditation projects.

Developing pharmacists' competencies in Saudi Arabia: A proposed national competency framework to support initial education and professional development

IntroductionWith the currently accelerating changes in pharmacists' roles in Saudi Arabia, evidence-based developmental tools are required to guide initial pharmacy education and define competencies for early career (foundation level) pharmacists' progression. This study aimed to develop a profession-wide competency framework for foundation level pharmacists in Saudi Arabia using the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework (GbCF) as the source framework. MethodsAn online nominal group technique was used to develop consensus on a profession-wide national competency framework in Saudi Arabia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit experts from local various pharmacy sectors. A combination of self-administered surveys and online meetings was used to measure and develop consensus. The survey items were adopted from the FIP GbCF version 2. ResultsNine pharmacy experts participated in five iterative rounds of consensus measurement and development between July and November 2021. Consensus was achieved on appropriateness to Saudi pharmacy practice for all the behaviours in the “Pharmaceutical Public Health,” “Pharmaceutical Care,” and “Professional/Personal” clusters. The “Organisation and Management” cluster caused most differences of opinion. The final consensus generated a list of 125 behavioural statements for inclusion in the national competency framework. ConclusionThis study proposes the first competency framework for foundation level pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. The developed framework represents a consensus on competencies for foundation level pharmacists working across all pharmacy sectors and is eligible for supporting further improvement of initial pharmacy education and support excellence in pharmacists' performance to address the country's needs from pharmaceutical services.

The Lebanese experience for early career development: Bridging the gap to reach the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework

Introduction: Currently, there is no official national competency framework for pharmacy education or early career development programs in Lebanon. In 2017, the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon attempted to fill that gap by developing and validating a framework using the FIP Global Competency Framework version 1 among others. Methods: Since this framework has not been implemented by the Lebanese educational bodies, it was deemed necessary to adapt it further, adding innovative aspects according to the recently published FIP Global Competency Framework version 2. This study identified recommendations to ways of improving pharmacy education. Results: There are missing barriers, which pose major challenges to the implementation of early career training in pharmacy schools in Lebanon. The implementation of these recommendations would produce practice-ready pharmacists with homogeneous competencies. Conclusion: A critical analysis of the contextual factors affecting the success of early-career training would help set expected outcomes to ensure best fit for society.

The relevance of the International Pharmaceutical Federation Global Competency Framework in developing a country-level competency framework for pharmacists: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundIn the ever-changing roles of pharmacists, the evidence shows that the use of competency frameworks could aid in achieving professional performance development and ensuring a consistent quality pharmacy education. However, there is no national competency framework for pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. This study, therefore, uses an evidence-based method to identify the competencies required to support and facilitate the pharmacists' training and career development. ObjectiveTo assess pharmacists' perception of the relevance of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework (GbCF v1) to their own practice. MethodsA cross-sectional online survey of pharmacists in different practice settings was conducted between August and November 2020, in Saudi Arabia. The survey was adopted from the GbCF v1. A combination of purposive and snowball sampling was used. The relevance to the GbCF v1 was assessed using a four-point Likert scale. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. ResultsA total of 522 pharmacists participated in the survey. The study showed broad agreement on relevance to practice for 84% of behaviours included in the GbCF v1. The ‘pharmaceutical public health’ cluster scored the highest percentage of relevant responses (91.42%), followed by the ‘professional/personal’ cluster (87.08%), whereas the ‘organisation and management’ cluster scored the highest percentage of ‘not-relevant’ responses (18.40%). The observed non-relevancy was associated with gender, nationality and area of pharmacy practice (p < 0.05). ConclusionThe competencies and behaviours included in the GbCF v1 are relevant to pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia. However, some behaviours of the GbCF v1 require modification to be appropriate for the local needs of the Saudi pharmacy practice. The findings from this exercise will be used as a base to develop a foundation-level competency framework to inform initial pharmacy education development and address knowledge gaps and learning needs required to attain and maintain pharmacists' competence to practise.

Development of a core competency framework for clinical informatics

ObjectivesUntil this point there was no national core competency framework for clinical informatics in the UK. We report on the final two iterations of work carried out in the formation...

A Tale of Four Programs: How Residents Learn About Quality Improvement during Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Calgary

Phenomenon: Quality Improvement (QI) has become increasingly incorporated into competency frameworks for physician learners over the past two decades. As contemporary medical education adapts competency-based models of training, learners will be required to demonstrate competency in QI. There is a need to explore how various residency programs are currently teaching QI, including how residents might participate in experiential QI activities, and the various outcomes of these strategies. Approach: A collective case study examined how residents in four postgraduate programs at a single academic institution have learned about QI since the formal integration of QI as a cross-cutting competency. Data from surveys, interviews, observations, and archival records were collected in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of each case in its real-life context and explore current and historical trends and patterns within and across the four programs. Findings: Teaching and resident involvement in QI projects increased across all four programs since its formal integration into the national physician competency framework. Two programs had a longitudinal, hybrid QI curriculum involving didactic and experiential components. Two programs had didactic-alone QI curricula, with minimal resident engagement in applied QI activities. Between-program differences were quantified with regards to learning climate, safety climate, QI knowledge, skills, and attitudes, attitudes toward research during residency, and quality of mentorship for scholarly activities. Residents in programs with experiential learning reported higher knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward QI were motivated to lead improvement efforts in their future practice. Residents in programs with didactic-only QI teaching perceived that the historical operationalization of the scholarly project as research was a barrier to their involvement in QI, as it was not valued or legitimized in their academic and clinical contexts. Common barriers and facilitators to engagement with QI across all programs included time, mentorship, motivation, and competing demands such as feeling pressure to conduct research in order to obtain competitive fellowship positions or employment. Common across all programs was the perception of the residency scholarly project requirement as a “checkbox.” Associations were quantified between the constructs of learning climate with safety culture, and safety culture with QI knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Insights: While hybrid QI curricula with experiential learning remains an effective curriculum strategy, tensions between research and QI may be a critical barrier to learner engagement in experiential activities. In addition to providing learners with support, time, mentorship, and explicitly communicating the value QI by the program, the local safety culture may impact QI learning beyond the core curriculum. Reconceptualization of the scholarly project requirements to normalize QI activities and recognizing the potential influence of the local organizational culture on QI learning and how trainees can positively or negatively shape these cultures warrants consideration.

A workforce survey of critical care nurses in the National Health Service.

To measure key aspects of the critical care nursing workforce across the National Health Service (NHS) and compare these with recommended standards where they exist. The provision of high-quality and safe critical care services is dependent on adequate numbers of highly skilled nurses. Understanding the issues and challenges within critical care services across the NHS is key to future planning and policy in this area. A stakeholder-driven consensus development approach was adopted to design a workforce survey by members of the Critical Care National Network Nurse Leads (CC3N) Forum. The survey was conducted across all the critical care units in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Data were collated to enable presentation of descriptive statistics. Data returns were received from 240 of the 272 units in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales data were excluded from analysis and reporting. Differences in the sample and data returns limited comparison with the previous survey in some aspects. Stability was seen in vacancy and sickness rates. Improvements were seen in safe nurse: patient ratios, supernumerary "nurse in charge," critical care outreach service cover, use of national competency framework, and agency use. Dependency on overseas nurses in some units remains high. Specialist critical care training levels in many units do not meet current required standards. Clear improvements have been made. There is significant stability. Some challenges remain. Continued review of resource allocation is important in the coming years, as is policy and strategy to ensure recruitment, appropriate training, and support for staff well-being. The reader will gain insight into the critical care nursing workforce in the NHS in England and Northern Ireland. The results are useful for nurses, nurse managers, and policymakers.

Learn Today-Apply Tomorrow: The SMART Pharmacist Program.

The SMART Pharmacist Program was initiated by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and Pharma Expert in 2014. It was designed to introduce a new continuing education model for pharmacists for the Turkish Pharmacists’ Association, and to support development of competencies for future practice. After successful implementation in Turkey, the Program spread to 16 additional countries. To assure quality, globally adopted and validated tools and best practices were used, respecting the national context. National competency frameworks and quality indicators for pharmaceutical care delivery were developed. Pharmacists’ learning portfolios were introduced and patient care modules created. Under the sub-title “Learn Today—Apply Tomorrow,” the changes in practice were introduced under the leadership of national host organizations. The Program showed an impact on the patient level in several countries, especially in areas of patient care in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Hypertension and Dyslipidemia, Diabetes, and the patient care process in general (e.g., identifying drug-related problems, improving patient safety, collaborating with medical doctors). Changes are visible at the individual (pharmacists) and organizational levels. Barriers and facilitators to the change-management process during Program implementation are identified. In some countries, the Program is recognized as one of the most important initiatives in pharmacy education and practice, with visible support of national medicines agencies, academia, government, and WHO regional offices.

A Systems Thinking Approach for the Creation of Super Clinicians using a Competency-based Medical Education Framework

We think that the article titled “National Competency Frameworks for Medical Graduates: Is it Time for the “SudanMeds”? published in the Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences [1] is a timely publication. Competency-based medical education (CBME) is considered as a paradigm shift in medical education, the ultimate aim of which is the improvement of patient and society’s quality of care by training and creating highly skilled clinicians. A paradigm as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary is a situation in which the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something changes completely. The magnitude of change is so profound to the extent that it leads to a fundamental change in the approach or underlying assumptions, an example being the introduction of the Internet. Several such major “contemporary” shifts have colored the thinking processes and actions of healthcare professionals and leaders. For example, the Patient Safety Paradigm and the Evidence-based Practice Paradigm.

Medical Faculty - National Core Curriculum 2020

National Core Curriculums (NCCs) for Undergraduate Medical Education (NCC-2002 and NCC-2014) have made great contributions to the medical education of Turkey and ensured that medical education is carried out according to certain standards and all medical faculties focus on their education programs. The NCC-2020 was taken its final form as a result of approximately one year of labour, with the commitment of the commission and the feedback of the deans of the medical faculties. As in previous NCCs, it is aimed to reflect the entire NCC (100%) to the program of medical education. However, it has been considered appropriate for all medical faculties to make additions to their education programs according to their vision and mission, as well as the burden of diseases that they can carry depending on their location. Hence, approximately 70-75% of the education program of faculties is expected to constitute NCC (all the subjects in the NCC will be included in the program) and the remaining 25-30% will be formed with the content determined by the faculty's own goals.The National Competency Framework (NCF)has also taken its place in the NCC-2020 to guide medical schools to develop the programs of undergraduate education based on qualifications. Also, behavioural, social sciences and humanities are included in the NCC-2020 as diseases are not just biomedical/pathophysiological processes. This study aims to train physicians with similar knowledge and skills based on NCC in the curricula of medical faculties.

P99 National competency framework for rheumatology nurse specialists

Abstract Background The first edition of the RCN Competency Framework for Rheumatology Nurse Specialists (RNS) will be published in February 2019. The role of the RNS is highly complex and several issues have driven the need for this work. The importance of RNS was highlighted by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS 2017). The British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) outlined the need for education, training supervision and work force development. There are no overarching paediatric rheumatology nurse competencies other than the biologic competencies (BSPAR 2019). Education for rheumatology nurses is not currently centralised but is key to improving skills and developing our workforce for the future improving services. Both RNS and rheumatologists are in short supply resulting in problems of access to services and delays in care (BSR 2019). In all four UK nations the titles of RNS roles and proficiency vary greatly (Titrate trial 2019) which is likely to have an impact on patient experience and outcomes. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) developed recommendations for the role of the RNS in the management of chronic inflammatory arthritis which were recently updated (Bech et al, 2019). They outline three key overarching principles and 8 key recommendations. This framework maps all of these requirements. Methods Online data sources were searched for the most relevant and current evidence. Where research evidence wasn’t available, existing and new knowledge was utilised from a consensus of clinical expert and patient opinions, several rounds of consensus discussions took place virtually and face to face. RCN Rheumatology Nurse Forum Workshop attendees in June 2019 also answered a questionnaire to elicit views and demographic information regarding roles. Results The workshop questionnaire results demonstrated 100% (n37) agreement with the development of the framework and that only 2 respondents had completed a competency process. 60% were RNS. Of these 52% (n13) were band 6, 47% (n9) were band 7, and 1% were band 8 consultant nurses. The questionnaire highlighted the need to develop the framework. Results were fed back to the working party to inform the domains to be included. Conclusion We will launch the document at BSR 2020 having successfully submitted a session proposal and also hope to disseminate updates on the impact of the document at subsequent events. Evaluation will begin with a call for expressions of interest. We will use 4 pilot sites (in all 4 nations) designing a questionnaire. We measure dissemination success using a variety of methods including membership Facebook pages and the questionnaire at point of download request. We will measure where and how the competency is being used and adoption of the framework throughout the UK at 6 -12 months from the launch. We hope this abstract submission will increase dissemination opportunities. Disclosures D.I. Finney Honoraria; DF has received an honorarium for presenting at a symposium. L. Parker None. H. Smith None. L. Howie None. T. Cornell Corporate appointments; Trish Cornell is a consultant nurse working for Abbvie ltd. J. Begum None. P. Livermore None. R. Wyllie None.

National competency frameworks for medical graduates: Is it time for the “SudanMeds”?

Competency-based medical education has emerged recently as a novel model of medical training driven by its ability to reconcile the desired attributes in future physicians and address the overarching and demanding issues of the discipline in this century. The rising concerns of social accountability, patient safety, and cost effectiveness of medical education programs have contributed significantly to the popularity of this paradigm worldwide. This is translated in turn to the evolution of national competency frameworks for medical graduates that are increasingly implemented in different jurisdictions to standardize and ensure equivalent outcomes of medical curricula and readiness of their graduates to better serve their communities. Medical education in Sudan is deeply rooted in the history of the nation and the continent and is tinged with remarkable success and achievements. It is challenged nowadays with unprecedented expansion in basic medical education which may hinder the quality of medical schools’ programs and their graduates. This article explores the feasibility of one such framework in Sudan: the “SudanMeds” to ensure minimum standards and comparability of medical schools’ curricula and their outcomes across the Country. The framework would also arm the regulatory bodies with a tool for accreditation and recognition of basic medical education programs in Sudan and reflect quality assurance in their settings. Once this approach is deemed feasible, the contribution of all stakeholders from the highest top to the bottom – the government, the regulatory bodies, the public and civil organizations, and the medical schools’ community – is required to allow for creation, implementation, and follow-up of the “SudanMeds” framework.&#x0D; Keywords: Sudan, competency-based medical education, national competency frameworks, medical schools, basic medical education