'Be' Report - Stakeholder Feedback on Proposed ‘Be’ Template & Content. Dissemination and Feedback on a Proposed Template and Content for the Intern Curriculum Framework.

This is a conference report on the 2-day National Stakeholder Conference (October 2021) which aimed to inform the ‘Be’ component of the new national curriculum framework for the Internship year in Ireland. 

The Intern curriculum is undergoing a revision in response to the Medical Council’s call for a transition from a time-based to a competency-based approach to the Internship year. This transition will facilitate the implementation of entrustable professional activities (EPAs). The new Intern curriculum framework comprises of 3 components: ‘Know’, ‘Do’, ‘Be’. The ‘Be’ component addresses competencies associated with ‘professionalism’ (these are the professional behaviors, values and practices expected of an Intern as they adopt the professional identity of a doctor). The National Stakeholder Conference involved consultation with multiple key stakeholders to gain feedback and consensus on the proposed template and content for the ‘Be’ component. Key stakeholders included: Irish Medical Council Members, NDTP Leads, National Training Body Leads, Intern Network Executive Program Directors and Tutors, Clinical Faculty, Medical Education Faculty, in addition to NCHD, Intern and Patient representatives, and 5 International Experts. Stakeholders’ knowledge, experiences and perspectives on the proposed new template and content for the ‘Be’ component were shared through engagement in multiple presentations, interactive workshops, and small and large group discussions. The concept of professional identity formation (PIF) and the author’s proposal to integrate professional identity formation within post-graduate competency-based frameworks to address 'gaps' for professionalism competencies in competency-based programs were also presented. Conference stakeholders explored various teaching and assessment tools to facilitate PIF integration within the new competency-based Intern curriculum and discussed strategies for addressing potential challenges within the Irish context.