Our Academic Competency Objectives

Curriculum for Success

Quality Medical Education in the Caribbean

Competency-Based Objectives

Trinity faculty are charged with meeting the following Competency-Based Objectives through our courses and clerkships.

1. Medical Knowledge

Goal Statement: Medical students are expected to master a foundation of clinical knowledge with the integration of basic sciences and the translation of that knowledge to the clinical setting. Graduates from Trinity School of Medicine will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of normal and abnormal structure and function of the human body on the macroscopic, microscopic, and molecular levels.
Identify the pathology and pathophysiology of various diseases and correlate them with clinical signs and symptoms.
Demonstrate knowledge of common or significant acute and chronic clinical problems.
Differentiate between normal and abnormal development and age-related changes throughout the human lifespan.
Demonstrate comprehension of clinical interventions and agents including pharmaceutical, surgical, genetic, complementary, and alternative medicines.
Demonstrate knowledge and ability to interpret epidemiological data to lead to a greater understanding of public health and disease.
Demonstrate knowledge of preventive medicine and current guidelines for health promotion and disease screening.

2. Patient Care

Goal Statement: Medical students, as members of the healthcare team, are expected to provide patient and family-centered care that is compassionate and effective for the promotion of health and the management of illness. Graduates from Trinity School of Medicine will be able to:

Treat patients using a patient and family-centered care approach.
Obtain a complete and accurate medical history that covers essential aspects, also addressing issues related to age, gender, culture, use of complementary medicine, family dynamics, and socioeconomic status.
Perform both complete and symptom-focused physical examinations, including mental status examinations.
Perform or participate in routine technical procedures. (Procedures determined by core clerkships)
Construct a differential diagnosis for common clinical presentations.
Identify and interpret the most useful clinical, laboratory, roentgenologic, and pathologic testing for common clinical presentations.

3. Practice-based learning

Goal Statement: Medical students are expected to investigate and evaluate their patient care practices, appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and improve their practice of medicine. Graduates from Trinity School of Medicine will be able to:

Develop strategies for continuous individual improvement through monitoring performance, reflection, seeking new learning opportunities, applying new learning, and monitoring the impact of learning.
Accept constructive criticism and modify behavior based on feedback.
Develop clinical questions related to patients’ problems.
Answer clinical questions using study-based evidence and medical information technology.

4. Communication Competencies Objectives

Goal Statement: Medical students are expected to demonstrate skills that result in effective communication and collaboration with patients, families, and professional associates. Graduates from Trinity School of Medicine will be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to establish a positive patient-doctor relationship based on mutual trust and respect for patients’ privacy, dignity, individual integrity, and culture.
Communicate with others in a respectful, professional, and non-judgmental manner and demonstrate effective active listening skills.
Demonstrate the ability to give a clear, concise, and organized oral presentation and written documentation of patients’ history and physical exams.
Conduct a conversation and exam with a non- or limited-English-speaking patient through the appropriate use of an interpreter.
Recognize barriers to effective communication and implement strategies to overcome these barriers (e.g., health literacy, vision/hearing impairment, disabled, pediatric, geriatric).
Educate patients on preventive strategies and medical risks and benefits in health decision-making.

5. Professionalism

Goal Statement: Medical students are expected to demonstrate professional behavior, a commitment to ethical principles, and sensitivity to diverse patient populations. Graduates from Trinity School of Medicine will be able to:

Demonstrate honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior in all interactions with patients and other healthcare professionals.
Convey the importance of protecting patient privacy and identifying personal health information.
Identify ethical hazards and respond appropriately.
Fulfill professional commitments in a timely and responsible manner.
Maintain appropriate professional appearance and composure.
Recognize and address personal limitations, attributes or behaviors that might limit one’s effectiveness as a physician and seek help when needed. This would include being able to describe personal responses to stress and employ appropriate stress reduction interventions as needed.
Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population, including but not limited to diversity in gender, age, race, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation, and investigate the impact of that sensitivity on clinical care and medical decisions.

6. Systems-based Practice

Goal Statement: Medical students are expected to develop an awareness of available healthcare system resources and demonstrate an ability to use them appropriately to provide optimal quality patient care. Graduates from Trinity School of Medicine will be able to:

Demonstrate their ability to work with a multidisciplinary patient care team with an understanding of the physicians’ role as team leaders and the importance of ancillary staff.
Examine medical errors and quality problems using a health systems approach and consider available methods to minimize them.

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