What are we preparing them for? Development of an inventory of tasks for medical, surgical and supportive specialties

Background: Internationally, postgraduate medical education (PGME) has shifted to competency-based training. To evaluate the effects of this shift on the outcomes of PGME appropriate instruments are needed. Aim: To provide an inventory of tasks specialists perform in practice, which can be used as an instrument to evaluate the outcomes of PGME across disciplines. Methods: Following methodology from job analysis in human resource management, we used document analyses, observations, interviews and questionnaires. Two thousand seven hundred and twenty eight specialists were then asked to indicate how frequently they performed each task in the inventory, and to suggest additional tasks. Face and content validity was evaluated using interviews and the questionnaire. Tasks with similar content were combined in a total of 12 clusters. Internal consistency was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was determined by examining predefined differences in task performance between medical, surgical and supportive disciplines. Results: Seven hundred and six specialists (36%) returned the questionnaire. The resulting inventory of 91 tasks showed adequate face and content validity. Internal consistency of clusters of tasks was adequate. Significant differences in task performance between medical, surgical and supportive disciplines indicated construct validity. Conclusion: We established a comprehensive, generic and valid inventory of tasks of specialists which appears to be applicable across medical, surgical and supportive disciplines.

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