Coordinating a nation-wide introduction of a new competency framework for the Swiss undergraduate medical curricula: development of a common implementation guide

Sohrmann, Marc; Nendaz, Mathieu; Bonvin, Raphael; Berendonk, Christoph (26 August 2019). Coordinating a nation-wide introduction of a new competency framework for the Swiss undergraduate medical curricula: development of a common implementation guide. In: AMEE Conference (p. 71). Dundee: Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE)

Background: In 2018, Switzerland introduced a new version of its nation-wide framework of reference for the undergraduate medical curriculum named PROFILES. It is based on the 7 CanMeds roles, 9 EPAs and 265 situations as starting points; but in contrast to previous editions it does not list diagnoses or disciplines.To accompany the implementation process the medical faculties created a joint, national working group.Summary of Work: Delegates of the medical schools and the federal licensing exam met regularly over one year. The resulting implementation guide, basedon a thorough review of the current literature, describes contextualized strategies to support the implementation of the different elements of PROFILES. This non-binding approach respects the autonomy of each Swiss medical school, allowing them to adapt the implementation process to their specific context and challenges.Summary of Results:The PROFILES implementation guide covers four main chapters: Curriculum organisation:the transition from a content-oriented to a competency-based teaching program needs an integrated curriculum, active teaching formats and a longitudinal clinical exposure. Assessment:the introduction of EPAs along the CanMeds roles requires a ‘program ofassessment’ combining different assessment strategies, rather than a collection of isolated assessment events. Faculty development:such a profound change can only be achieved if faculty members are trained and informed, and eventually adhere to the new educational orientations. Strategies of implementation:the last chapter emphasizes the importance of developing a change management approach to support a successful implementation of PROFILES.Discussion and Conclusions:The framework of reference for the undergraduate medical curriculum in Switzerland has recently undergone an in-depth update. A collaborative work with delegates from all medical schools resulted in an implementation guide with strategies to address the challenging shift to a competency-oriented curriculum based on CanMeds and EPAs.Take-home Messages: A nation-wide, collaborative approach to define strategies and conditions for the implementation of a new framework of reference has the potential to lead to a clearer appreciation of the challenges and an increased effort towards using common processes and tools to modify the current undergraduate medical curricula.

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