Competency-based medical education and the education continuum: Establishing a framework for lifelong learning

Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) is built on the concept that the competencies of learners, both graduates and practicing physicians, should ensure they are ready to meet the ever-changing healthcare needs of patients.1, 2, 3 Education outcomes in a CBME system are defined based on the needs of patients, and in healthy CBME systems, there is a paradigm shift from a focus on process and teachers to outcomes and learners.2,4 CBME should occur across the continuum of one's career, from undergraduate medical education through retirement. Furthermore, learners must be accustomed to driving their own educational processes.4,5 This learner-centered perspective requires pediatricians to develop and fine tune their lifelong learning skills.