TY - JOUR
T1 - A Six-Step Model for Developing Competency Frameworks in the Healthcare Professions
AU - Batt, Alan
AU - Williams, Brett
AU - Rich, Jessica
AU - Tavares, Walter
N1 - Funding Information:
Open-access publication was funded by the Department of Paramedicine, Monash University.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2021 Batt, Williams, Rich and Tavares.
PY - 2021/12/14
Y1 - 2021/12/14
N2 - Competency frameworks are developed for a variety of purposes, including describing professional practice and informing education and assessment frameworks. Despite the volume of competency frameworks developed in the healthcare professions, guidance remains unclear and is inconsistently adhered to (perhaps in part due to a lack of organizing frameworks), there is variability in methodological choices, inconsistently reported outputs, and a lack of evaluation of frameworks. As such, we proposed the need for improved guidance. In this paper, we outline a six-step model for developing competency frameworks that is designed to address some of these shortcomings. The six-steps comprise [1] identifying purpose, intended uses, scope, and stakeholders; [2] theoretically informed ways of identifying the contexts of complex, “real-world” professional practice, which includes [3] aligned methods and means by which practice can be explored; [4] the identification and specification of competencies required for professional practice, [5] how to report the process and outputs of identifying such competencies, and [6] built-in strategies to continuously evaluate, update and maintain competency framework development processes and outputs. The model synthesizes and organizes existing guidance and literature, and furthers this existing guidance by highlighting the need for a theoretically-informed approach to describing and exploring practice that is appropriate, as well as offering guidance for developers on reporting the development process and outputs, and planning for the ongoing maintenance of frameworks.
AB - Competency frameworks are developed for a variety of purposes, including describing professional practice and informing education and assessment frameworks. Despite the volume of competency frameworks developed in the healthcare professions, guidance remains unclear and is inconsistently adhered to (perhaps in part due to a lack of organizing frameworks), there is variability in methodological choices, inconsistently reported outputs, and a lack of evaluation of frameworks. As such, we proposed the need for improved guidance. In this paper, we outline a six-step model for developing competency frameworks that is designed to address some of these shortcomings. The six-steps comprise [1] identifying purpose, intended uses, scope, and stakeholders; [2] theoretically informed ways of identifying the contexts of complex, “real-world” professional practice, which includes [3] aligned methods and means by which practice can be explored; [4] the identification and specification of competencies required for professional practice, [5] how to report the process and outputs of identifying such competencies, and [6] built-in strategies to continuously evaluate, update and maintain competency framework development processes and outputs. The model synthesizes and organizes existing guidance and literature, and furthers this existing guidance by highlighting the need for a theoretically-informed approach to describing and exploring practice that is appropriate, as well as offering guidance for developers on reporting the development process and outputs, and planning for the ongoing maintenance of frameworks.
KW - competency framework
KW - competency profile
KW - developing competencies
KW - professional competency frameworks
KW - professional practice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121860303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fmed.2021.789828
DO - 10.3389/fmed.2021.789828
M3 - Article
C2 - 34970566
AN - SCOPUS:85121860303
SN - 2296-858X
VL - 8
JO - Frontiers in Medicine
JF - Frontiers in Medicine
M1 - 789828
ER -