December 7, 2023 —The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (JCEHP) has published a supplement, "Conceptual Advances in Continuing Professional Development in the Health Professions," in which scholars of continuing professional development (CPD) creatively examine prevailing assumptions and propose new theoretical frameworks and empirical insights. Publication of the supplemental issue is supported by the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME). JCEHP, the official journal of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Association for Hospital Medical Education, and the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
"In CPD, scholarly and practical endeavors are deeply ingrained in ways of thinking that need to be examined," Walter Tavares, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Society, and Associate Professor at the Wilson Centre for Health Professions Education Research at the University of Toronto, and colleagues say in an introductory editorial. "Thoughtful examination of these underlying assumptions is likely to generate meaningful advancements."
Assessment as currently understood in the context of CPD must be re-examined
One set of manuscripts in the supplement examines the importance of context in CPD. A prominent example is a paper about assessment by Helen Toews, MSc, also of the Wilson Centre, Dr. Jacob Pearce, and Dr. Tavares. They argue for a new view of assessment in CPD as person-focused, practice-informed, situated and bound by capability, and enacted in social and material contexts.
Drawing on the work of education theorist Gert Biesta, the authors explain the concept of "subjectification," the process by which students become subjects in their own right, "individuals who can make up their own mind, draw their own conclusions, and take responsibility for their actions." Each learner develops their own unique existence within their profession or, as some say, their own practice.
Encouraging subjectification as described by Biesta, Ms. Toews and her colleagues say this "opens the door to exploring assessment in CPD as a space for transformation of the health professional-as-a person, as a dialogue between the person enmeshed in their context and the external expert." Assessment is then understood not as something done to a person but something experienced both individually and collectively.
"Although not expressly identified as such, critical friends, analysis of current clinical events, and increased physician control over their review process have been used by some to engage the health-professional-as-a-person through assessment," the authors note.
Progress in CPD relies on new ways of thinking and willingness to abandon outdated beliefs
The supplement presents multiple other conceptual advances in CPD, covering topics such as:
How a focus on health equity and inclusion can enrich curriculum development plans
A critique of current theories as failing to account for ideological, cultural, societal, political, and economic drivers and the interactions among them
The importance of considering socio-material, socio-cultural, and professional institutional dimensions in workplace learning
How to organize CPD activities as longitudinal interventions
Challenges to assumptions about using health records in CPD, such as the correlation between health record–driven performance enhancements and actual practice or health outcomes
Articulating and using principles to guide development and evaluation of CPD, including a case study of an innovative opioid prescribing program
Tavares and colleagues write, "We encourage scholars, educators, and health professionals to engage with these ideas, critically and constructively. The vitality of CPD—and by extension, the health professions—depends on our willingness to continue this discourse."
