Competency and professionalism in medicine.

Background: In this article some definitions of competency and professionalism will be discussed, and an overview of existing methods that assess competency and professionalism in anaesthesia resident doctors (residents) is provided. In addition, we will discuss how progression to professionalism, education in anaesthesiology and other medical specialties may be improved using the adult skill acquisition model. The goal of this paper is to refine the definitions of professionalism and competency, and to propose a new approach to medical education.

Context: The terms professionalism and competency are both used in the context of education, sometimes interchangeably, adding to the confusion surrounding their definitions and application. Competency, from our point of view, is the ability to perform a certain task required for a work situation. Professionalism includes competencies in addition to the specific behaviours required to successfully perform in a certain specialty. Areas in which progress in medical education may be achieved include: resident selection; teaching and testing of programs (e-education); better use of simulation for skills assessment; and teaching and assessment of non-technical skills during residency. Medical schools and teaching hospitals should work continuously on creating and maintaining a high level of professional culture.

Implications: Medical knowledge, manual skills and non-technical skills should be used for the assessment of professionalism in medical specialties. The necessity to improve on the quality of medical care calls for changes in medical education.