Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South Africa
Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have been introduced into family medicine training programmes across South Africa (SA) as part of a competency-based medical education (CBME) framework. These EPAs provide a structured approach to assessing and developing the competencies required for indep...
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| Format: | Article |
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AOSIS
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa |
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| Online Access: | https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/179 |
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| author | Louis S. Jenkins Mergan Naidoo Kefilwe Hlabyago Dirk T. Hagemeister Neetha Erumeda Busisiwe Cawe Tasleem Ras Mulimisi Ramavhuya Owen Eales |
| author_facet | Louis S. Jenkins Mergan Naidoo Kefilwe Hlabyago Dirk T. Hagemeister Neetha Erumeda Busisiwe Cawe Tasleem Ras Mulimisi Ramavhuya Owen Eales |
| author_sort | Louis S. Jenkins |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have been introduced into family medicine training programmes across South Africa (SA) as part of a competency-based medical education (CBME) framework. These EPAs provide a structured approach to assessing and developing the competencies required for independent practice in family medicine. Twenty-two EPAs, aligned with the scope of family medicine in SA, were identified and integrated into a national electronic portfolio of learning (ePOL), Scorion. This allows for continuous documentation, assessment, and feedback, supporting both registrars and supervisors in tracking progress. To ensure a robust assessment of competence and readiness for entrustment decisions, local and national clinical competency committees (CCCs) were established. Local CCCs operate within training institutions, comprising faculty teams that review registrar performance data from the ePOL to make entrustment decisions on specific EPAs. The national CCC, comprising of representatives from all nine family medicine departments in SA, provides oversight, ensures standardisation, and addresses inter-institutional variability in assessments.
Contribution: The implementation of EPAs and CCCs represents a significant advancement in family medicine education, fostering accountability, consistency, and transparency in assessment. Initial outcomes suggest improved alignment between training and workplace requirements, enhanced feedback quality, and better preparation for independent practice. Challenges remain, including ensuring faculty development, managing workloads, and fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement. Future steps include further refining the CCC framework, addressing implementation challenges and exploring the impact of these changes on registrar training and assessment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6dfc43b6d3ef453e871012f540226b71 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2960-110X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa |
| spelling | doaj-art-6dfc43b6d3ef453e871012f540226b712025-08-20T02:28:11ZengAOSISJournal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa2960-110X2025-04-0131e1e510.4102/jcmsa.v3i1.17962Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South AfricaLouis S. Jenkins0Mergan Naidoo1Kefilwe Hlabyago2Dirk T. Hagemeister3Neetha Erumeda4Busisiwe Cawe5Tasleem Ras6Mulimisi Ramavhuya7Owen Eales8Division of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa; and, PHC Directorate, Family, Community and Emergency Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; and, National Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape townNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Discipline of Family Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Discipline of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-RankuwaNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Division of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, MthathaNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Division of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape TownNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Limpopo, PolokwaneNational Clinical Competency Committee, College of Family Physicians, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, Cape town, South Africa; and, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, TshwaneEntrustable professional activities (EPAs) have been introduced into family medicine training programmes across South Africa (SA) as part of a competency-based medical education (CBME) framework. These EPAs provide a structured approach to assessing and developing the competencies required for independent practice in family medicine. Twenty-two EPAs, aligned with the scope of family medicine in SA, were identified and integrated into a national electronic portfolio of learning (ePOL), Scorion. This allows for continuous documentation, assessment, and feedback, supporting both registrars and supervisors in tracking progress. To ensure a robust assessment of competence and readiness for entrustment decisions, local and national clinical competency committees (CCCs) were established. Local CCCs operate within training institutions, comprising faculty teams that review registrar performance data from the ePOL to make entrustment decisions on specific EPAs. The national CCC, comprising of representatives from all nine family medicine departments in SA, provides oversight, ensures standardisation, and addresses inter-institutional variability in assessments. Contribution: The implementation of EPAs and CCCs represents a significant advancement in family medicine education, fostering accountability, consistency, and transparency in assessment. Initial outcomes suggest improved alignment between training and workplace requirements, enhanced feedback quality, and better preparation for independent practice. Challenges remain, including ensuring faculty development, managing workloads, and fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement. Future steps include further refining the CCC framework, addressing implementation challenges and exploring the impact of these changes on registrar training and assessment.https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/179nationalclinical competency committeepostgraduatefamily medicinetrainingassessmentsouth africa |
| spellingShingle | Louis S. Jenkins Mergan Naidoo Kefilwe Hlabyago Dirk T. Hagemeister Neetha Erumeda Busisiwe Cawe Tasleem Ras Mulimisi Ramavhuya Owen Eales Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South Africa Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa national clinical competency committee postgraduate family medicine training assessment south africa |
| title | Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South Africa |
| title_full | Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South Africa |
| title_short | Developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training, South Africa |
| title_sort | developing a national clinical competency committee for family medicine training south africa |
| topic | national clinical competency committee postgraduate family medicine training assessment south africa |
| url | https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/179 |
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