# Collective Wisdom in Faculty Development for Competency-Based Medical Education: A Needs Assessment and Survey

## TL;DR

This study explores how faculty at the University of Toronto perceive the best ways to develop skills for competency-based medical education.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into effective faculty development activities and topics for implementing competency-based medical education.

## Key findings

- Small group formats were identified as the most effective faculty development activity.
- Implementing CBME, assessment tools, and feedback were top topics for faculty development.
- Most programs suggested starting CBME implementation 6-12 months in advance.

## Abstract

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Background: As programs transition to competency-based medical education (CBME), faculty development (FD) will be a key component of supporting successful implementation.

Methods: Faculty at the University of Toronto (UofT) with leadership roles in residency education were invited to complete an online survey to explore their experiences with FD for CBME. Descriptive statistics were collected. Results were analyzed using thematic, frequency and comparative analyses between respondent subgroups to identify trends and theme categories relevant to the perceived most effective FD activities, most helpful FD topics as well as program/department needs for future FD initiatives.

Results: The overall survey response rate was 44.6%. The most effective FD activity identified by survey respondents was a small group format. Perceived top FD topics included implementing CBME, assessment tools, feedback and coaching along with competence committees. The majority of programs felt that the ideal timing for CBME implementation was 6-12 months prior to implementation. The main perceived barrier to FD was lack of time amongst faculty.

Conclusions: This data helped drive FD at UofT by supporting strategic planning for implementing competency based curricular reforms. The results have also informed the need for additional resources and enable focused FD on barriers and needs.