Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME)
Medical education is changing to meet the demands of our evolving health care system. One of these changes is the development and implementation of competency-based medical education (CBME).
CBME is an outcomes-based approach to the design, implementation, and evaluation of education programs and to the assessment of learners across the continuum that uses competencies or observable abilities. The goal of CBME is to ensure that all learners achieve the desired patient-centered outcomes during their training.
The AAMC has been a leader in CBME for more than two decades and remains committed to supporting the development and implementation of new competencies. Below, you will find resources from the AAMC and other organizations toward the design and use of CBME.
Foundational Competencies for Undergraduate Medical Education
The AAMC, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) collaborated to create this common set of foundational competencies for use in undergraduate medical education programs in the United States. The Foundational Competencies (released December 2024) lay out expected outcomes for all medical students, regardless of their degree type and future specialty, across six broad areas: professionalism, patient care and procedural skills, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, and systems-based practice.
AAMC New and Emerging Areas in Medicine Competency Series
This series is intended to add depth to key emerging areas to guide curricular and professional development, formative performance assessment, cross-continuum collaborations, and, ultimately, improvements in health care services and outcomes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In July 2025, with support from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the AAMC launched an effort to develop competencies to help ensure all medical learners—regardless of where they train— gain foundational knowledge in AI principles, understand its ethical and legal implications, and are equipped to collaborate with data scientists and technologists in health care settings. Please direct any questions to curricularinnovation@aamc.org.
Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS)
The Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Competencies Across the Learning Continuum, Version 2 (released September 2024) provide guidance for integrating and improving quality improvement and patient safety curricula across the continuum. These competencies align with the latest evidence and practices, focusing on patient-centered care, health equity, and interprofessional collaboration. Please direct any questions to QIPS@aamc.org.
Telehealth and Virtual Care
Telehealth, defined as the use of technology to deliver health care at a distance, is an important and commonly used tool for delivering care to patients. The Telehealth Competencies Across the Learning Continuum (released March 2021) provide guidance for integrating and improving telehealth curricula across the continuum. Version 2 is currently under development. Please direct any questions to telehealth@aamc.org.
In 2023, the AAMC launched the Competency-Based Education in Telehealth Challenge Grant Program to support the development, dissemination, and integration of competency-based interprofessional education in telehealth and to create a community of telehealth educators across the continuum. Seven institutions were awarded grants to support the implementation of their innovative telehealth resources.
Connect with Colleagues and Develop Your Skills
The AAMC provides opportunities for professional development, networking, and collaboration for all those involved in CBME.
- Join the Learning Community for CBME in UME to learn more about leveraging the Foundational Competencies across curriculum development, assessment, and faculty development.
- Join the Curriculum virtual community to engage with colleagues through discussion threads around timely questions and topics of interest and to find and share useful resources.
- Read and submit CBME scholarship to the AAMC’s peer-reviewed journals, Academic Medicine and MedEdPORTAL.
Past AAMC Initiatives
The AAMC is a long-time leader in CBME. Two past projects that generated important learning and resources about the practical implementation of CBME include the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency (Core EPAs) and the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum (EPAC) projects.
The Core EPAs were developed by the AAMC in 2014 and served as a set of 13 entrustable professional activities that all medical students should have been able to perform upon entering residency, regardless of their future specialty. Implementation was piloted by 10 medical schools from 2014-2021. Use of the Core EPAs is currently being evaluated in light of the release of the Foundational Competencies in 2024.
The EPAC project tested the feasibility of a medical education and training model that is based on learners’ demonstration of defined outcomes rather than on time, from early in medical school through the completion of residency. This pilot project ran from 2014-2023 with 5 medical schools and their affiliated pediatrics residency programs.
Additional Competencies
These competency sets are available to educators across the health professions to inform and guide curricular efforts. They are not specialty-specific and have been developed nationally through systematic and inclusive consensus building processes, some in partnership with the AAMC.
Resources developed in collaboration with the AAMC:
Further resources developed across health professions education:
- Care of Older Patients
- Climate and Health Key Competencies
- Competencies to Improve Diagnosis
- Genetics and Genomics
- Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care
- Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Competencies for Undergraduate Medical Education
- Nutrition Competencies for Medical Students and Physician Trainees
- Core Competencies on Disability for Health Care Education
Please note that the AAMC does not endorse or maintain access to or accuracy of these resources.