Design, development and implementation of a national faculty development program to promote CBME in graduate medical education in Switzerland

Background: Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) is a global movement in graduate medical training but implementation on a national scale is challenging. One crucial element of fostering CBME is to establish faculty development. We report the design of a national program, the process of implementation, and the results of the first two years.Methods: Following Kern’s cycle of curriculum development, a group of medical education experts designed a training program covering the basic skills for teaching in clinical settings. In addition, we outlined a qualification pathway for future educators in the program.Results: The program was built upon 1-day-workshops with the topics: “clinical teaching”, “feedback and assessment”, “clinical leadership”, “supporting trainees in difficulties”. More than 30 workshops were delivered in two language regions to more than 500 clinical teachers. The median rating whether participants’ expectations were met was 9 (of 10 points, IQR 8-9). The qualification pathway for future educators in the program included a nomination, a 2.5-day introductory workshop, shadowing of workshops, and stepwise acquisition of workshop parts as an educator candidate.Discussion: This faculty development program was well attended and well-received. Using Kern’s established model for the design process including an extensive needs assessment helped to serve the goals of the program. Developing future educators for expanding this program proved resource intensive.Conclusion: Implementing a national faculty development program was successful based on a rigorous design process, a highly motivated expert team, and learning content tailored to the needs of the audience. Effects on the implementation of CBME still need to be evaluated.