Proficiency in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) requires the practitioner to acquire cognitive and technical skills. For anesthesiology residents, an assortment of challenges has been identified in learning UGRA skills. Currently, a validated UGRA curriculum for residents does not exist, and the level of UGRA proficiency achieved during residency training can vary considerably. Simulated practice has been shown to enhance proficiency in UGRA, and a competency-based education with simulation training has been endorsed for anesthesiology residents. The objective of this review is to outline simulation-based training that can be implemented in a UGRA curriculum and to explore educational tools like gamification to facilitate competency in regional anesthesiology.
Anesthesia, Conduction ; Anesthesiology ; Competency-Based Education ; Curriculum ; Internship and Residency ; Learning ; Nerve Block ; Simulation Training ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Recently, competency-based education has been reorganized in the dental hygiene curriculum. In education, non-cognitive factors are emphasized. Grit, the non-cognitive ability to persevere to achieve an individual’s long-term goals, is emerging. This study aims to identify the degree of grit and core competencies in students and to investigate the relationship between them and the factors that affect these core competencies. METHODS: This study was conducted using 350 dental hygiene students who were randomly assigned a structured questionnaire to complete. The final analysis included 321 students. The survey contents evaluated grit, core competencies, and general characteristics. The difference in the degree of grit and core competencies in conjunction with the general characteristics of the subjects was analyzed using the t-test/Mann Whitney U-test and the ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis H test. Multiple regression analysis was then conducted to determine the factors affecting the core competencies of the subjects. RESULTS: The difference of ‘grit’ according to general characteristics was statistically significant in ‘major satisfaction’, ‘relationship’, ‘perceived academic achievement’, ‘grade point average (GPA)’. The difference in ‘core competency’ according to general characteristics was statistically significant in ‘grade’, ‘department selection’, ‘major satisfaction’, ‘relationship’, ‘perceived academic achievement’, ‘GPA’. Among the sub-areas of ‘grit’, ‘perseverance of effort’ showed a high correlation with ‘core competency’ and was statistically significant. As a result of regression analysis, ‘major satisfaction’, ‘perceived academic achievement’ and ‘grit’ of dental hygiene students had a statistically significant influence on ‘core competency’. Meanwhile, ‘GPA’ was not seen to be statistically significant in ‘core competency’. CONCLUSION: Grit, a non-cognitive factor, had a statistically significant effect on core competency, while the effects on GPA, a cognitive factor, were not statistically significant. Among the sub-factors of grit, ‘perseverance of effort’ had a statistically significant effect on ‘problem-solving competency’ and ‘academic competency’, which are ‘core competency’ sub factors.
Competency-Based Education ; Curriculum ; Education ; Humans ; Oral Hygiene

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess nurses' evidence-based practice (EBP) beliefs and competencies, and organizational supports to develop EBP. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted using a survey of clinical nurses at a tertiary hospital in South Korea. RESULTS: The survey was distributed to a total of 1,413 nurses and was completed by 1,318 nurses. There were significant differences in the EBP beliefs and competencies, and the perception of organizational supports among nurses at different educational levels. The EBP beliefs, EBP competencies, and organizational supports had a positive correlation with each other. EBP competencies were the highest in nurses with less than 3-years of clinical experience, and the perception of organization supports were the highest in nurses with more than 10-years of clinical experience. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that educational programs, training, and organizational supports are recommended for facilitating successful EBP among nurses.
Education ; Evidence-Based Practice ; Korea ; Mental Competency ; Tertiary Care Centers

Psychiatry residency training in South Korea currently has many limits in developing proper competencies of residents. To address this problem, the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association has been developing a new competency-based training program since 2015, using the educational systems of advanced countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia as references. It was found that within the referenced countries' residency training systems, objectives based on competencies are stated in detail by psychiatric topics as well as various assessment methods and feedback about the resident's competency level. In addition, we surveyed psychiatric resident training hospitals, and found that more than 80% of the respondents answered positively in reference to the new training program. This paper briefly reviews competency-based residency training systems of advanced countries and compares them to the current training program in South Korea. Many resources are needed to run a new competency-based training program, and governmental supports are essential to improve the quality of the residency training system.
Australia ; Canada ; Competency-Based Education ; Curriculum ; Education ; Great Britain ; Internship and Residency ; Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; United States

The Korean Association of Medical Colleges (KAMC) developed graduate outcomes based on “The role of Korean doctor, 2014” to serve as guidelines regarding outcome-based education in Korea. The working group in this study analyzed 65 competencies proposed in “The role of Korean doctor, 2014” according to the developmental principle that certain outcomes should be demonstrated at the point of entry into the graduate medical education. We established 34 competencies as “preliminary graduate outcomes” (PGOs). The advisory committee consisted of 11 professors, who reviewed the validity of PGOs. Ultimately, a total of 19 “revised graduate outcomes” (RGOs) were selected. We modified the RGOs based on opinions from medical schools and a public hearing. In November 2017, the KAMC announced the “graduate outcomes for basic medical education,” which serves as a guide for basic medical education for the 40 medical schools throughout Korea. Medical schools can expand the graduate outcomes according to their educational goals and modify them according to their own context. We believe that graduate outcomes can be a starting point for connecting basic medical education to graduate medical education.
Advisory Committees ; Competency-Based Education ; Education ; Education, Medical* ; Education, Medical, Graduate ; Education, Medical, Undergraduate ; Hearing ; Korea ; Physician's Role ; Republic of Korea ; Schools, Medical

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a core competency model for translational medicine curriculum in the Korean graduate education context. METHODS: We invited specialists and key stakeholders to develop a consensus on a core competency model. The working group composed of 17 specialists made an initial draft of a core competency model based on the literature review. The initial draft was sent to the survey group by email to ask whether they agreed or disagreed with each core competency. The working group simplified, merged, or excluded the competencies that received less than 80% agreement among the 43 survey respondents. The working group also reorganized the order of the domains and competencies based on the survey results, and clustered the domains into four major areas. RESULTS: The final core competency model has four areas, 12 domains, and 34 core competencies. The major areas are theory-based problem assessment and formulation, study design and measurement, study implementation, and literature review and critique. CONCLUSION: This new core competency model will provide guidance for the competency based education of translational medicine in Korea.
Competency-Based Education ; Consensus ; Curriculum* ; Education, Graduate ; Electronic Mail ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Korea ; Specialization ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Translational Medical Research*

PURPOSE: This study aims to analyze the competency of medical students and its relevance for admission policy in medical schools. METHODS: This study examined the competency of 63 medical students from the 6-year program (group A) and 41 medical students from the 4-year program (group B) at Yonsei University using the Korea Collegiate Essential Skills Assessment (KCESA). The competency of groups A and B were compared to the corresponding competency levels of non-medical students (groups C and D). Group C is freshmen and D is senior students in universities. The KCESA is computer-based ability test composed of 228 items. The competency of participants were calculated on a T-scores (mean=50, standard deviation=10) based on KCESA norm-references. We conducted independent t-test for group comparisons of competency levels. RESULTS: There are no differences in competency levels between groups A and B. Compared with the non-medical students (group B), the medical students showed a significantly stronger ability to use resources, information-technology and higher-order thinking. In the comparison between groups B and D, medical students showed lower levels of self-management, interpersonal, and cooperative skills. CONCLUSION: The cognitive ability serves as an important indicator for the decision on admission to a basic medical education program. The efforts should be made to foster the competency that medical students have been found to lack, such as self-management, interpersonal, and cooperative skills. The admission committee should assess the cognitive and non-cognitive competency of applicants in a balanced manner.
Competency-Based Education ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Korea ; Republic of Korea ; School Admission Criteria ; Schools, Medical ; Self Care ; Students, Medical ; Thinking

In an era of high technology and low trust, acknowledging and coping with uncertainty is more crucial than ever. Medical uncertainty has been considered an innate feature of medicine and medical practice. An intolerance to uncertainty increases physicians' stress and the effects of burnout and may be a potential threat to patient safety. Understanding medical uncertainty and acquiring proper coping strategies has been regarded to be a core clinical competency for medical graduates and trainees. Integrating intuition and logic and creating a culture that acknowledges medical uncertainty could be suggested ways to teach medical uncertainty. In this article, the authors describe the concepts of medical uncertainty, its influences on physicians and on medical students toward medical decision making, the role of tolerance/intolerance to uncertainty, and proposed strategies to improve coping with medical uncertainty.
Clinical Competence ; Clinical Decision-Making ; Competency-Based Education ; Decision Making ; Education, Medical* ; Heuristics ; Humans ; Intuition ; Logic ; Patient Safety ; Students, Medical ; Uncertainty*

PURPOSE: Today's clinical nurses deal with complex problems that need accurate evidence for practice and decision making. In this study the effectiveness of an EBP education program was examined. METHODS: A pre-posttest design was used for this study and participants were 46 nurses working at a tertiary hospital located in Suwon, Korea. Date collection was done before and after the education program, from July 27 to October 2, 2015. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and ANCOVA with SPSS 21.0. RESULTS: There were significant differences in scores before and after the EBP education program for EBP readiness: belief (t=-5.65, p<.001), implementation(t=-2.89, p=.006), competence (t=-4.21, p<.001), and for evidence-based decision making (t=-16.25, p<.001) by the nurses. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the EBP education program has positive effects on EBP belief, implementation, competence and evidence-based decision making. In the future, it is necessary to reinforce the content of the program in the clinical workplace and to provide continuous education for clinical nurses.
Decision Making* ; Education* ; Evidence-Based Practice* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Korea ; Mental Competency ; Tertiary Care Centers

PURPOSE: Competency is a key foundation of the nursing education curriculum and a baseline element of nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the competencies of community health nurses in a maternal early childhood sustained home-visiting program based on nurses' field experiences. METHODS: The participants were 21 nurses who had more than 1 year of experience in this program. Reflective interviews were performed; lasting 1 hour per nurse, on August 18, 2016, and the collected data were analyzed using qualitative directed content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-four themes were extracted for 9 competencies. The major themes included implementing a long-term relationship-based approach, providing client-led service rather than expert-led service, helping mothers with psychosocial difficulties, and applying skills in a practical manner in the home environment. CONCLUSION: In order to develop a home-visiting program as part of maternal-early childhood nursing practice, nurses should develop competencies that help them make significant and positive interventions. Results indicate that the curriculum for community health nurses should be changed to improve competencies in building relationships with clients and to focus on the application of skills in specific cases and in clinical practice.
Competency-Based Education ; Curriculum ; Education, Nursing ; Humans ; Mothers ; Nurses, Community Health ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research