Key and Enabling Competencies
Definition: As Professionals, physicians are committed to the health and well-being of individuals and society through ethical practice, profession-led regulation, and high personal standards of behaviour.
Description: Physicians have a unique societal role as professionals who are dedicated to the health and caring of others. Their work requires the mastery of a complex body of knowledge and skills, as well as the art of medicine. As such, the Professional Role is guided by codes of ethics and a commitment to clinical competence, the embracing of appropriate attitudes and behaviors, integrity, altruism, personal well-being, and to the promotion of the public good within their domain. These commitments form the basis of a social contract between a physician and society. Society, in return, grants physicians the privilege of profession-led regulation with the understanding that they are accountable to those served.[2]
Key Competencies: Physicians are able to...
1. Demonstrate a commitment to their patients, profession, and society through ethical practice;
2. Demonstrate a commitment to their patients, profession, and society through participation in
profession-led regulation;
3. Demonstrate a commitment to physician health and sustainable practice.
Enabling Competencies: Physicians are able to...
1. Demonstrate a commitment to their patients, profession, and society through ethical practice
1.1. Exhibit appropriate professional behaviors in practice, including honesty, integrity, commitment, compassion, respect and altruism
1.2. Demonstrate a commitment to delivering the highest quality care and maintenance of competence
1.3. Recognize and appropriately respond to ethical issues encountered in practice
1.4. Appropriately manage conflicts of interest
1.5. Recognize the principles and limits of patient confidentiality as defined by professional practice standards and the law
1.6. Maintain appropriate relations with patients.
2. Demonstrate a commitment to their patients, profession and society through participation in profession-led regulation
2.1. Appreciate the professional, legal and ethical codes of practice
2.2. Fulfill the regulatory and legal obligations required of current practice
2.3. Demonstrate accountability to professional regulatory bodies
2.4. Recognize and respond to others’; unprofessional behaviours in practice
2.5. Participate in peer review
3. Demonstrate a commitment to physician health and sustainable practice
3.1. Balance personal and professional priorities to ensure personal health and a sustainable practice
3.2. Strive to heighten personal and professional awareness and insight
3.3. Recognize other professionals in need and respond appropriately
_________________________________
2. This description is adapted from: Cruess S, Johnston S, Cruess R. 2004. “Profession”: a working definition for medical educators. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. 16(1): 74-6.