Introduction to Core Competencies in Residency: A Description of an Intensive, Integrated, Multispecialty Teaching Program

Postgraduate residency programs must ensure that residents are properly trained in all core competencies. The CanMEDS framework of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has established seven such competencies: medical expert, communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate, scholar, and professional. The authors describe an integrated, one-month multispecialty rotation for first-year residents, Introduction to CanMEDS Core Competencies, at Laval University, Quebec, Canada. The goal of the rotation was to offer an in-depth and simultaneous training in each of the seven competencies. A pilot rotation was offered from February 9 to March 7, 2004 and involved 42 residents from seven programs and 30 faculty. It addressed 12 content areas related to the core competencies, through teaching formats promoting experiential and reflective learning. It involved three significant innovations: an intensive month-long format, during which residents were freed from most clinical duties; a multispecialty teaching and socialization strategy between peers and with faculty; and an integrated reflective approach, to ensure residents' understanding of the relevance and application of the core competencies in their own specialty. Although demanding to organize, the pilot rotation was well received. Residents were rapidly introduced to all competencies, and they developed an integrated perspective of them. An evaluation of impact is underway.