Development of an Audit Method to Assess the Prevalence of the ACGME’s General Competencies in an Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum

BACKGROUND: Despite the use of competency-based frameworks to evaluate physicians, the role of competency-based objectives in undergraduate medical education remains uncertain. PURPOSE: By use of an audit methodology, we sought to determine how the six Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies, conceptualized as educational domains, would map onto an undergraduate medical curriculum. METHODS: Standardized audit forms listing required activities were provided to course directors, who were then asked to indicate which of the domains were represented in each activity. Descriptive statistics were calculated. RESULTS: Of 1,500 activities, there was a mean of 2.13 domains per activity. Medical Knowledge was the most prevalent (44%), followed by Patient Care (20%), Interpersonal and Communication Skills (12%), Professionalism (9%), Systems-Based Practice (8%), and Practice-Based Learning and Improvement (7%). There was considerable variation by year and course. CONCLUSIONS: The domains provide a useful framework for organizing didactic components. Faculty can also consider activities in light of the domains, providing a vocabulary for instituting curricular change and innovation.