Reflection, Dialogue and Different Ways of Knowing: Beyond the Competency Paradigm in Medical Education

Much attention in medical education these days focuses on competencies, methods of assessment, and knowledge transfer. However, the most fundamental question in medical education is a question that we often overlook: “What kind of doctors do we wish to create?” I would argue that the principal goal of medical education is to educate physicians who practice with excellence, compassion and justice. In this sense, medical education is moral education. In this talk, we will explore the different ways of knowing in medical education as a type of moral education and explore the notion of care from philosophical, ethical and humanistic perspectives. Because we are considering not just biomedical knowledge and clinical skills but also the development of an empathic professional identity, we must engage our entire selves into this type of teaching, and the most effective way in which this occurs is through dialogue.