%0 Journal Article
%T The promise of competency-based education in the health professions for improving global health
%A Gruppen Larry D
%A Mangrulkar Rajesh S
%A Kolars Joseph C
%J Human Resources for Health
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1478-4491-10-43
%X Competency-based education (CBE) provides a useful alternative to time-based models for preparing health professionals and constructing educational programs. We describe the concept of ¡®competence¡¯ and ¡®competencies¡¯ as well as the critical curricular implications that derive from a focus on ¡®competence¡¯ rather than ¡®time¡¯. These implications include: defining educational outcomes, developing individualized learning pathways, setting standards, and the centrality of valid assessment so as to reflect stakeholder priorities. We also highlight four challenges to implementing CBE: identifying the health needs of the community, defining competencies, developing self-regulated and flexible learning options, and assessing learners for competence. While CBE has been a prominent focus of educational reform in resource-rich countries, we believe it has even more potential to align educational programs with health system priorities in more resource-limited settings. Because CBE begins with a careful consideration of the competencies desired in the health professional workforce to address health care priorities, it provides a vehicle for integrating the health needs of the country with the values of the profession.
%U http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/10/1/43