Clinical Sciences-Leading the Way in Competency-Based Biomedical Education

Mark A Brown; Ilham Alshiraihi; Kelly Hassell; Shari Lanning

doi:10.3390/vetsci7010023

Clinical Sciences-Leading the Way in Competency-Based Biomedical Education

Vet Sci. 2020 Feb 17;7(1):23. doi: 10.3390/vetsci7010023.

Authors

Mark A Brown^{1

2

3

4

5}, Ilham Alshiraihi⁵, Kelly Hassell⁵, Shari Lanning¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1052, USA.
² Epidemiology Section, Colorado School of Public Health, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1052, USA.
³ Institute for Learning and Teaching, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1052, USA.
⁴ Department of Ethnic Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1052, USA.
⁵ Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1052, USA.

Abstract

For decades, educators in the clinical sciences have been at the forefront of innovations in educational practices related to science and medicine. Ultimately, such innovations are often translated and implemented as best practices across the breadth of biomedical disciplines. Far from novel, competency-based approaches to higher education have been around since the 1960s. These have their origins in student outcomes-based models that focus on the assessment of demonstrated competencies through students' applications of theory, learned in the classroom, to perform a task and/or resolve a defined issue or problem. Despite its long history of contributing to human medical education and, more recently, veterinary medical education, competency-based instruction is still rare in undergraduate biomedical education. Herein, we discuss the value of clinical education in leading the way toward competency-based, undergraduate biomedical programs.

Keywords: biomedical education; clinical sciences; competency-based education; veterinary education.

Publication types

Editorial