Standard 6: Competencies, Curricular Objectives, and Curricular Design

STANDARD 6: COMPETENCIES, CURRICULAR OBJECTIVES, AND CURRICULAR DESIGN

The faculty of a medical school define the competencies to be achieved by its medical students through medical education program objectives and is responsible for the detailed design and implementation of the components of a medical curriculum that enables its medical students to achieve those competencies and objectives. The medical education program objectives are statements of the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that medical students are expected to exhibit as evidence of their achievement by completion of the program.

OVERVIEW DATA

Table 6.0-1 | Academic Year 1 - Instructional Formats / Source: School-Reported
Using the most recently-completed academic year, list each required learning experience from year one of the curriculum and provide the total number of instructional hours for each listed instructional format. Note that “small group” includes case-based and problem-solving sessions. Provide the total number of hours per required learning experience and instructional format. Provide a definition of “other” if selected. Add rows as needed for each campus.
Campus / Required learning experience / Weeks / Number of formal instructional hours per required learning experience
Lecture / Lab / Small group / Patient contact / Other (describe) / Total
TOTAL
Table 6.0-2 | Academic Year 2 - Instructional Formats / Source: School-Reported
Using the most recently-completed academic year, list each required learning experience from year two of the curriculum and provide the total number of instructional hours for each listed instructional format. Note that “small group” includes case-based or problem-solving sessions. Provide the total number of hours per required learning experience and instructional format. Provide a definition of “other” if selected. Add rows as needed for each campus.
Campus / Required learning experience / Weeks / Number of formal instructional hours per required learning experience
Lecture / Lab / Small group / Patient contact / Other (describe) / Total
TOTAL
Table 6.0-3 | Academic Years 3 and 4- Weeks/Formal Instructional Hours / Source: School-Reported
Provide data from the most recently-completed academic year on the total number of weeks and formal instructional hours per week (includes lectures, conferences, teaching rounds, clinical and procedural skills teaching/workshops) for each required learning experience in years three-four of the curriculum. Provide a range of hours if there is significant variation across weeks. Note that hours devoted to patient care activities should NOT be included.Add rows as needed for each instructional site if there are differences between sites.
Instructional site / Required learning experience / Total weeks / Typical hours per week of formal instruction

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

1. Provide a brief description of the structure of the medical curriculum including the relationships between required learning experiences and the rationale for their placementin the curriculum.

1. Provide a separate, brief description of each parallel curriculum (e.g., longitudinal integrated clerkship). Include the following information in each description, and highlight the difference(s) from the curriculum of the medical education program taken by the majority of medical students:

Name of parallel curriculum:

1. the placement of the parallel curriculum in the medical education program (e.g., year 3 only, all years);

2.the location of the parallelcurriculum (main campus, geographically distributed campusand/or community sites);

3.the year the parallelcurriculum was first offered;

4.the focus of the parallelcurriculum, including the additional objectives that students must achieve;

5.the general structure of the parallel curriculum (including the sequence of required learning experiences in each curriculum year/phase);

6.the number of students participating in the parallelcurriculum for the last three academic years by year of the medical education program in which the parallel curriculum is implemented (e.g., if the parallel curriculum is implemented only in year 3, provide the number of third-year medical students who have participated each year for the last three academic years).

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

a.A schematic or diagram that illustrates the structure of the curriculum. The schematic or diagram should show the approximate sequencing of, and relationships among, required learning experiences in each academic year. (Appendix 6 a)

b.If the structure of the curriculum has changed significantly since the DCI and self-study were completed (i.e., a new curriculum or curriculum year has been implemented), include a schematic of the new curriculum, labeled with the year it was first introduced. (Appendix 6 b)

c.A schematic of any parallel curriculum. (Appendix 6 c)

6.1 PROGRAM AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The faculty of a medical school define its medical education program objectives in competency-based terms that reflect and support the continuum of medical education in Canada and allow the assessment of medical students’ progress in developing the competencies for entry into residency and expected by the profession and the public of a physician. The medical school makes these medical education program objectives known to all medical students and faculty members with leadership roles in the medical education program, and others with substantial responsibility for medical student education and assessment. In addition, the medical school ensures that the learning objectives for each required learning experience are made known to all medical students and those faculty, residents, and others with teaching and assessment responsibilities in those required experiences.

Definitions taken from CACMS lexicon
-Learning objectives: Statements of what medical students are expected to be able to do at the end of a required learning experience (see lexicon).
-Medical education program objectives: Statements of what medical students are expected to be able to do at the end of the educational program i.e., exit or graduate level competencies.
-Required learning experience: An educational unit (e.g., course, block, clerkship rotation or longitudinal integrated clerkship) that is required of a student in order to complete the medical education program. These educational units are usually associated with a university course code and appear on the student’s transcript. Required learning experiences are in contradistinction to electives, which are learning experiences of the student’s choosing.

SUPPORTING DATA

Table 6.1-1 | Competencies, Medical Education Program Objectives, and Outcome Measures / Source: School-Reported
List each general competency and demonstrate the relationship between each general competency expected of graduates, the medical education program objectives, and the outcome measure(s) specifically used to assess students’ attainment of each related objective and competency. Add rows as needed.
General competency / Medical education program objective(s) / Outcome measure(s)

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

a.Provide the year in which the current medical education program objectives were last reviewed and approved.

b.Describe how and by whom the medical education objectives were developed, reviewed and approved to ensure that they:

1.reflect and support the continuum of medical education in Canada

2.link to the relevant competencies

3.allow the assessment of medical students’ progress in developing the competencies for entry into residency and expected by the profession and the public of a physician

c.Describe how the medical school selectedthe outcome measures for the assessment of its medical education program objectives. How does the medical school ensure that the outcome measures selected are sufficiently specific to allow a judgment that each of the medical education program objectives has been met?

d.Describe how medical education program objectives are made known to each of the following groups:

1.medical students

2.faculty members with leadership roles in the medical education program

3.otherindividuals with substantial responsibility for medical student education and assessment

e.Describe how learning objectives for each required learning experience are made known to each of the following groups:

1.medical students;

2.faculty with responsibility for teaching, supervising or assessing medical students in a specific required learning experience;

3.residents and non-faculty instructors with responsibility for teaching, supervising or assessing medical students in a specific required learning experience.

6.2 REQUIRED CLINICAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES

The faculty of a medical school define the types of patients and clinical conditions that medical students are required to encounter, the skills and procedures to be performed by medical students, the appropriate clinical settings for these experiences, and the expected levels of medical student responsibility.

SUPPORTING DATA

Table 6.2-1 | Required Clinical Learning Experiences (Required Patient Encounters and Procedural Skills) / Source: School-Reported
For each required clinical learning experience, list and describe each patient type, clinical condition, required procedure and skill, and clinical setting in which they take place, along with the required level(s) of student responsibility.
Patient type / Clinical condition / Procedures/skills / Clinical setting(s) / Level of student responsibility

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

a.Define the levels of student responsibility provided in table 6.2-1.

b.Describe how the list of required patient encounters and procedural skills was developed.

c.Describe how and by which individuals and groups the list of required patient encounters and procedural skills was reviewed and approved. Note if the curriculum committee or other central oversight body played a role in reviewing and approving the list of required patient encounters and procedural skills across required learning experiences.

d.Describe which individuals and/or groups developed the list of alternatives designed to remedy gaps when students are unable to access a required patient encounter or perform a required procedural skill. How was the list of alternative experiences developed? Which individuals and groups approved the list of alternative experiences?

e.Describe how medical students, faculty, and residents are informed of the required patientencounters and procedural skills in each required clinical learning experience.

6.3 SELF-DIRECTED AND LIFE-LONG LEARNING

The faculty of a medical school ensure that the medical curriculum includes self-directed learning experiences and time for independent study to allow medical students to develop the skills of lifelong learning. Self-directed learning involves medical students’ self-assessment of learning needs; independent identification, analysis, and synthesis of relevant information; and appraisal of the credibility of information sources.

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

a.Describe the learning sessions, and the required learning experiences in which these learning sessions occur during the first two years of the curriculum, where in the context of a clinical case, students engage in all of the following components of self-directed learning as a unified sequence (use the names of relevant required learning experiences from the Overview tables 6.0-1 and 6.0-2 when answering):

1.identify, analyze, and synthesize information relevant to their learning needs;

2.assess the credibility of information sources;

3.share the information with their peers and tutor/facilitator;

4.apply their knowledge to the resolution of the clinical case;

5.receive feedback and are assessed on their skills in self-directed learning.

b.Referring to the sample schedules requested below, describe for the first two years of the program, the amount of scheduled time for self-directed learning sessions.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

a.Schedules that illustrate the amount of time in the first and second years of the curriculum that medical students spend in self-directed learning sessions. (Appendix 6.3 a)

6.4 INPATIENT / OUTPATIENT EXPERIENCES

The faculty of a medical school ensure that the medical curriculum includes clinical experiences in both outpatient and inpatient settings.

SUPPORTING DATA

Table 6.4-1 | Percentage Total Required Clinical Learning Experience Time / Source: School-Reported
Provide the percentage of time that medical students spend in inpatient and ambulatory settings in each required clinical learning experience. If the names differ from those in the table, substitute the name used by the medical school. If the amount of time spent in each setting varies across instructional sites (e.g., hospitals), provide a range. Add rows as needed for each campus.
Campus / % of total required clinical learning experience time
Ambulatory / Inpatient
Emergency medicine
Family medicine
Internal medicine
Obstetrics gynecology
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Surgery
Other (list)
Table 6.4-2 | Inpatient and Ambulatory Patient Experience / Source: AFMC GQ
Provide data from the AFMC Graduation Questionnaire (AFMC GQ) on the percentage of respondents that agree/strongly agree (aggregated) that when they are presented with a variety of patients that they have the knowledge and skills to perform the tasks listed in the table. Add rows as needed for each campus.
Campus / School %
2015 / 2016 / 2017
Care for patients in a hospital setting
Care for patients in an ambulatory setting

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

a.Describe how the curriculum committee or subcommittee ensures that medical students spend sufficient time in ambulatory and inpatient settings to meet the learning objectives for each required clinical learning experience.

6.5 ELECTIVE OPPORTUNITIES

The faculty of a medical school ensure that the medical curriculum includes elective opportunities that supplement required learning experiences and that permit medical students to gain exposure to and deepen their understanding of medical specialties reflecting their career interests and to pursue their individual academic interests.

Definition taken from CACMS lexicon
-Required learning experience: An educational unit (e.g., course, block, clerkship rotation or longitudinal integrated clerkship) that is required of a student in order to complete the medical education program. These educational units are usually associated with a university course code and appear on the student’s transcript. Required learning experiences are in contradistinction to electives, which are learning experiences of the student’s choosing.

SUPPORTING DATA

Table 6.5-1 | Required Elective Weeks / Source: School-Reported
Provide the number of required weeks of elective time in each year of the curriculum.
Total required elective weeks
Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3 / Year 4

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

a.Briefly describe the types of elective opportunities available to medical students at each campus.

6.6 SERVICE-LEARNING

The faculty of a medical school ensure that the medical education program provides sufficient opportunities for, encourages, and supports medical student participation in a service-learning activity.

Definitions taken from CACMS lexicon
-Service-learning: A structured learning experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection.

SUPPORTING DATA

Table 6.6-1 | Service-learning / Source: ISA
Provide data from the independent student analysis (ISA),by curriculum year, on the percentage of respondents that agreed with the following statements about their access to opportunities to participate in a service-learning activity. If available, provide medical school administrative data in an additional table.
School %
Campus / Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3 / Year 4
There were opportunities to participate in a service-learning activity
I have participated in a service-learning activity when I was a student in the MD program
I did not participate – I plan to participate later
I did not participate – I was not interested
I did not participate – no opportunity was available
I did not participate – other reason

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

a.Summarize the opportunities for medical students to participate in a required or voluntary service-learning activity, including the general types of activities that are available.

b.Describe how medical student participation in a service-learning activity is encouraged. How are students informed about the availability of these activities?

c.Describe how the medical school supports service-learning activities.

6.7 ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENTS

The faculty of a medical school ensure that medical students have opportunities to learn in academic environments that permit interaction with students enrolled in other health professions, graduate, and professional degree programs, and opportunities to interact with residents in clinical environments and with physicians in continuing medical education activities.

SUPPORTING DATA

Table 6.7-1 | Health Professions Degree Programs Taught by Medical School Faculty / Source: School-Reported
List the health professions degree programs taught by the medical school faculty where medical students have the opportunity to interact with these programs’ students in academic environments. Add rows as needed for each campus.
Campus / Health professions program
Table 6.7-2 | Master’s and Doctoral Degree Programs Taught by Medical School Faculty / Source: School-Reported
List the biomedical or biological sciences master’s and doctoral degree programs taught by the medical school faculty where medical students have the opportunity to interact with graduate students in the academic environment. Add rows as needed for each campus.
Campus / Department or program
Table 6.7-3 | Residency and Fellowship Programs / Source: School-Reported
List the CFPC and Royal College accredited residency or fellowship programs where medical students have the opportunity to interact with residents in clinical environments. Indicate the number of residents and fellows in the table. Add rows as needed for each campus.
Campus / Name of the residency or fellowship program
(add rows) / Number of residents and fellows / Accreditation status of the program

NARRATIVE RESPONSE

a.Describe opportunities available for medical students to interact with students in graduate programs and how the medical school encourages such interactions.

b.Provide examples of opportunities for medical students to interact with students in other health professions in the first two years of the program and how the medical school encourages such interaction.

c.Provide examples of opportunities for medical students to interact with residents in clinical learning environments and how the medical school encourages such interaction.

d.Describe how medical students are exposed to continuing medical education activities for physicians and note if student participation in any continuing medical education activities is permitted or required.

6.8 EDUCATION PROGRAM DURATION

A medical education program includes at least 130 weeks of instruction.

SUPPORTING DATA

Table 6.8-1 | Number of Scheduled Weeks per Year / Source: School-Reported
Use the table below to report the number of scheduled weeks of instruction in each academic year of the medical curriculum (do not include vacation time). Refer to the overview section if the medical school offers one or more parallel curricula.
Number of scheduled weeks
Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3 / Year 4
TOTAL:

CACMS DCI – Standard 6 (AY 2017-2018)Page 1