Cheryl L Holmes, Laura Yvonne Bulk, Naomi Lear, Lynn Ashdown, Quinten K Clarke, Laura Farrell, Rachel Giddings, Lisa Graves, Julia Ersilia Hanes, George Kim, Michael Quon, Saleem Razack, Francesco A Rizzuti, Ginger Ruddy, Alex Scott, Erene Stergiopoulos, Lee Toner, Laura Nimmon
{"title":"Core Competencies for Students Entering Medical School: Reaching Pan-Canadian Consensus for Inclusive and Accessible Medical Education.","authors":"Cheryl L Holmes, Laura Yvonne Bulk, Naomi Lear, Lynn Ashdown, Quinten K Clarke, Laura Farrell, Rachel Giddings, Lisa Graves, Julia Ersilia Hanes, George Kim, Michael Quon, Saleem Razack, Francesco A Rizzuti, Ginger Ruddy, Alex Scott, Erene Stergiopoulos, Lee Toner, Laura Nimmon","doi":"10.1097/ACM.0000000000006132","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>A socially accountable physician workforce must include disabled learners and providers. However, current Canadian Technical Standards (TS) for medical school admissions create barriers to their inclusion. These standards overlook advances in assistive technology, universal design, evolving inclusion practices, and legal protections. Replacing the TS required consensus, but traditional methods of achieving consensus on disability inclusion risk reinforcing ableism in medical education. To address challenges with existing TS, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) formed the \"Re-envisioning TS Working Group,\" using a novel consensus approach grounded in disability inclusion and critical disability discourse. Guided by transparency, accessibility, and respect for disability as diversity, the group prioritized engagement with disabled physicians, educators, scholars, and learners. The WG followed five stages: (1) identifying key concepts and reviewing literature on TS reform and ableism; (2) examining relevant legislation and case law; (3) drafting functional Core Competencies; (4) consulting partners across the medical education continuum; and (5) presenting outcomes to the AFMC Board, highlighting a commitment to disability inclusion in undergraduate medical education. The AFMC Board unanimously endorsed the \"Report on Re-Envisioning Technical Standards,\" including the \"Desired Outcomes\" and the \"Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students.\" The AFMC's adoption of functional Core Competencies is a significant step toward inclusion and support for learners with disabilities in Canadian medical education. Medical schools should adopt these competencies, combat ableism, and invest in universal design to promote access. Accommodation support should extend from admission through postgraduate training to independent practice. Finally, efforts to foster an inclusive culture and contribute to a healthy, diverse physician workforce must be evaluated as part of medical schools' social accountability mandate.</p>","PeriodicalId":50929,"journal":{"name":"Academic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Academic Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000006132","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract: A socially accountable physician workforce must include disabled learners and providers. However, current Canadian Technical Standards (TS) for medical school admissions create barriers to their inclusion. These standards overlook advances in assistive technology, universal design, evolving inclusion practices, and legal protections. Replacing the TS required consensus, but traditional methods of achieving consensus on disability inclusion risk reinforcing ableism in medical education. To address challenges with existing TS, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) formed the "Re-envisioning TS Working Group," using a novel consensus approach grounded in disability inclusion and critical disability discourse. Guided by transparency, accessibility, and respect for disability as diversity, the group prioritized engagement with disabled physicians, educators, scholars, and learners. The WG followed five stages: (1) identifying key concepts and reviewing literature on TS reform and ableism; (2) examining relevant legislation and case law; (3) drafting functional Core Competencies; (4) consulting partners across the medical education continuum; and (5) presenting outcomes to the AFMC Board, highlighting a commitment to disability inclusion in undergraduate medical education. The AFMC Board unanimously endorsed the "Report on Re-Envisioning Technical Standards," including the "Desired Outcomes" and the "Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students." The AFMC's adoption of functional Core Competencies is a significant step toward inclusion and support for learners with disabilities in Canadian medical education. Medical schools should adopt these competencies, combat ableism, and invest in universal design to promote access. Accommodation support should extend from admission through postgraduate training to independent practice. Finally, efforts to foster an inclusive culture and contribute to a healthy, diverse physician workforce must be evaluated as part of medical schools' social accountability mandate.
期刊介绍:
Academic Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, acts as an international forum for exchanging ideas, information, and strategies to address the significant challenges in academic medicine. The journal covers areas such as research, education, clinical care, community collaboration, and leadership, with a commitment to serving the public interest.