CanMEDS Collaborator Competencies
Definition: As Collaborators, physicians effectively work within a healthcare team to achieve optimal patient care.
Description: Physicians work in partnership with others who are appropriately involved in the care of individuals or specific groups of patients. This is increasingly important in a modern multiprofessional environment, where the goal of patient-centred care is widely shared. Modern healthcare teams not only include a group of professionals working closely together at one site, such as a ward team, but also extended teams with a variety of perspectives and skills, in multiple locations. It is therefore essential for physicians to be able to collaborate effectively with patients, families, and an interprofessional team of expert health professionals for the provision of optimal care, education and scholarship.
Key Competencies: Physicians are able to...
1. Participate effectively and appropriately in an interprofessional healthcare team;
2. Effectively work with other health professionals to prevent, negotiate, and resolve interprofessional conflict.
Enabling Competencies: Physicians are able to...
1. Participate effectively and appropriately in an interprofessional healthcare team
1.1. Clearly describe their roles and responsibilities to other professionals
1.2. Describe the roles and responsibilities of other professionals within the health care team
1.3. Recognize and respect the diversity of roles, responsibilities and competences of other professionals in relation to their own
1.4. Work with others to assess, plan, provide and integrate care for individual patients (or groups of patients)
1.5. Where appropriate, work with others to assess, plan, provide and review other tasks, such as research problems, educational work, program review or administrative responsibilities
1.6. Participate effectively in interprofessional team meetings
1.7. Enter into interdependent relationships with other professions for the provision of quality care
1.8. Describe the principles of team dynamics
1.9. Respect team ethics, including confidentiality, resource allocation and professionalism
1.10. Where appropriate, demonstrate leadership in a healthcare team
2. Effectively work with other health professionals to prevent, negotiate, and resolve interprofessional conflict
2.1. Demonstrate a respectful attitude towards other colleagues and members of an interprofessional team
2.2. Work with other professionals to prevent conflicts
2.3. Employ collaborative negotiation to resolve conflicts
2.4. Respect differences, misunderstandings and limitations in other professionals
2.5. Recognize one’s own differences, misunderstanding and limitations that may contribute to interprofessional tension
2.6. Reflect on interprofessional team function
_________________________________