2025 Southern GEA/GSA/OSR Conference

Medical education is transitioning to assessing students in a competency-based framework. This not only aligns with GME evaluation of residents, but also ensures a focus on all learners meeting a minimum set of criteria and competencies prior to progression and graduation. This approach allows for a tailored evaluation of the learners and focuses on ensuring patient safety. This transition requires a cultural shift from the ‘best in class’ mentality or norm-referencing to one where all can (and should) meet the competencies to progress. In order to truly embrace a CBME framework, grades for courses should not be utilized as a focus on grades degrades from the focus on meeting competencies or at most, a pass/fail structure should be used.