Competency-based anesthesiology teaching: comparison of programs in Brazil, Canada and the United States

Abstract

In 2017, the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology (SBA) and the National Medical Residency Committee (CNRM) presented a joint competence matrix to train and evaluate physicians specializing in Anesthesiology, which was enforced in 2019. The competency-based curriculum aims to train residents in relation to certain results, in that residents are considered capable when they are able to act in an appropriate and effective manner within certain standards of performance. Canada and the United States (US) also use competency-based curriculum to train their professionals. In Canada, the format is the basis for using an evaluation method known as Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA), in which the mentor assesses residents’ capacity to perform certain tasks, classified in 5 levels. The US, in turn, uses Milestones as evaluation, in which competencies and sub-competencies are assessed according to residents’ progress during training. The present article aims to describe and compare the different competency-based curriculum and the evaluation methods used in the three countries, and proposes a reflection on future paths for medical education in Anesthesiology in Brazil.

Keywords

• Competency-based curriculum
• Anesthesiology
• Medical residency
• Medical education
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA)
• Milestones