Rapid, collaborative generation and review of COVID-19 pandemic-specific competencies for family medicine residency training

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted competency-based medical education in Family Medicine programs across Canada Faculty and residents identified a need for clear, relevant, and specific competencies to frame teaching, learning, supervision and feedback during the pandemic METHODS: A rapid, iterative, educational quality improvement process was launched Phase 1 involved experienced educators defining gaps in our program's existing competency-database, reviewing emerging public health and regulatory guidelines, and drafting competencies Phase 2 involved translation, member-checking, and anonymous feedback and editing of draft competencies by residents and other educational leaders Phase 3 involved wider dissemination, collaborative editing and feedback from residents and faculty throughout the department RESULTS: A total of 44 physicians including residents and faculty from multiple contexts provided detailed feedback, review, and editing of an ultimate list of 33 competencies organized by CanMEDS-FM roles Broad agreement was obtained that the competencies form reasonable learning outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic CONCLUSIONS: These competencies represent learning objectives reflecting the initial educational mindsets of a wide range of teachers and learners experiencing a global pandemic The project illustrates a novel collaboration across educational portfolios as a rapid educational response to a public health crisis