Competency-Based Education
Beginning in 2010, the curriculum at the University of Minnesota Medical School will be directly linked to seven domains of competence (see below).
Students will be expected to demonstrate the competencies and the ability to integrate across competencies to graduate. Student achievement of competencies, related concepts, and learning objectives will be assessed not only in specific medical school courses but also by institutional competency assessments called “Milestones.”
At the beginning of medical school, each student will be assigned to a faculty advisor who will follow the student throughout the program. For M.D./Ph.D. students, the advisors will work with students’ research mentors to help them navigate the combined program.
Competency Organizational Framework
The building blocks of our medical education programs are specific, measurable learning objectives. These objectives are categorized under the more broadly defined competencies. The competencies, in turn, roll up under the umbrella of the seven domains of competence. Collectively, these three tiers represent the building blocks of the competency-driven learning strategy.
Learning Objectives
Starting in April 2007, teams of clinicians and basic scientists have drafted learning objectives for key subject areas. These objectives are carefully written to reflect measurable knowledge, skills, and attitudes that every physician, regardless of specialty, needs to demonstrate.
Beginning with the class matriculating in 2010, the updated curriculum will be structured upon these core learning objectives, as will all forms of student assessment.
Domains of Competence
The University of Minnesota Medical School has organized its competencies into seven categories of knowledge, skills and attitudes. These align with the core ACGME competencies to promote continuity of learning and assessment between medical school and residency. All the competencies contained within the curriculum will map to these seven domains:
- Medical Knowledge
- Clinical Skills and Patient Care
- Scientific and Clinical Inquiry
- Professionalism
- Interpersonal and Communication Skills
- Systems of Health Care
- Continual Improvement of Care through Reflective Practice
