Outcomes are what matter: Competency-based medical education gets us to our goal

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Health professions education is undergoing a major paradigm shift to competency-based medical education. When shifts in thinking are profound and result in transformations of existing paradigms, there is often an accompanying criticism. While competency-based medical education is an evidence guided change in approach to curriculum and assessment, it is not immune to critique and concerns. Some criticisms are valid, and must be addressed as competency-based medical education is implemented; other concerns raised about competency-based medical education highlight the importance of clarity in language and purpose when discussing new paradigms. In this commentary, we aim to offer a balanced view of competency-based medical education by presenting an overview of the origins and conceptual assumptions of competency-based medical education and acknowledging valid criticisms of the approach.