EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND PROFICIENCY OF PROCEDURAL SKILLS

Learning and then using procedures effectively are prerequisites for the often-used term clinical competence. The words are loaded with meaning, but they commonly convey the idea that an individual is capable of safely performing a task without direct supervision and with expected satisfactory results. Other similar terms used interchangeably such as capability, proficiency and expertise may not be truly equivalent. Without getting into semantic battles about the precise meaning of the words, the common usage of the term will suffice. Clinical competence exists when a practitioner has sufficient knowledge and manual skill, such that a procedure can be performed to obtain intended outcomes and without harm to the patient.