Transition to CBME - a success story

Dr. Brian Rotenberg, Program Director for Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, has been leading the Department's transition to competency-based medical education (CBME).

This is the biggest change to the residency program in many years.

The thrust of the change is to enhance evaluations and teaching in a more formative, as opposed to traditionally summative, style.

CBME's ripple effects are found everywhere in the new curriculum, from the simple day to day affairs in the clinics and operating room, to how didactic lectures are structured and practice exams performed.

The Department has fully embraced the CBME transition and we have become both regional and national leaders, with our program being looked to as an example of getting it "right".

Many of the staff have not only embraced this new style of education, but have dived deeper into it to start scholarly educational work too.

Most importantly, the residents have embraced this new way of doing business, and have realized the benefits to their education.

The Department now has 10 residents fully engaged in CBME work, and as new cohorts being it will not be long until the entire program is functioning cohesively as a strong CBME unit.