Editorial: Competency frameworks in health professions education

Abstract

Competency-based health professions education is widely implemented as the framework for preparing health professionals for practice. Competency-based health professions education is inclusive of competency or practice standards that articulate the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and capabilities of a profession; the curriculum and assessment that supports achievement and measurement against these standards, and accreditation policies and procedures (1, 2). Competency-based assessment in the workplace is a critical part of competency-based education. Recent advances in assessment include programmatic approaches (3), trustworthy professional activities (4), and milestones (2) to support shared understanding of competence. While there are justifiable concerns surrounding a competency-based approach, for example, the focus on individual rather than the collective competence of interdisciplinary teams who provide healthcare ( This Research Topic, which is part of Frontiers in Medicine Health Professions Education, presents a collection of current research on competency-based health professions education. The contributors provide new knowledge and recommendations for a range of issues related to competency-based education. Three literature reviews synthesize evidence for developing competency frameworks (Batt et al.; Lepre et al.; Murray et al.). Drawing from the literature, Batt et al. provide a sixstep framework as guidance on best practices in the development of competency frameworks. Together with the two other reviews (Lepre et al.; Murray et al.), the manuscripts provide guidance for those undertaking the development or revision of competency frameworks showcasing the diversity of methods used (Batt et al.; Murray et al.). The reviews highlight the limited diversity of stakeholders involved in competency framework development (Lepre et al.) especially patients or the communities health professionals serve (Murray et al.). This is a critical finding given that

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