Growth mindset in competency-based medical education

Abstract

The ongoing adoption of competency-based medical education (CBME) across health professions training draws focus to learner-centred educational design and the importance of fostering a growth mindset in learners, teachers, and educational programs. An emerging body of literature addresses the instructional practices and features of learning environments that foster the skills and strategies necessary for trainees to be partners in their own learning and progression to competence and to develop skills for lifelong learning. Aligned with this emerging area is an interest in Dweck’s self theory and the concept of the growth mindset. The growth mindset is an implicit belief held by an individual that intelligence and abilities are changeable, rather than fixed and immutable. In this paper, we present an overview of the growth mindset and how it aligns with the goals of CBME. We describe the challenges associated with shifting away from the fixed mindset of most traditional medical education assumptions and practices and discuss potential solutions and strategies at the individual, relational, and systems levels. Finally, we present future directions for research to better understand the growth mindset in the context of CBME.

Keywords:

• Clinical: teaching and learning
• clinical: work-based
• management: role of teacher
• learning outcomes: general
• assessment: clinical

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Denyse Richardson

Denyse Richardson, BScPT, MD, Med, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Physiatry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Faculty, Dalla Lana School of Public Health Clinician Educator, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Benjamin Kinnear

Benjamin Kinnear, MD, MEd, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati OH, USA.

Karen E. Hauer

Karen E. Hauer, MD, PhD, Associate Dean, Assessment, and Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Teri L. Turner

Teri L. Turner, MD, MPH, Med, Vice Chair of Education and Martin I Lorin Endowed Chair in Medical Education, Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

Eric J. Warm

Eric J. Warm, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati OH, USA.

Andrew K. Hall

Andrew K. Hall, MD, MMEd, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, CAN. Clinician Educator, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Shelley Ross

Shelley Ross, MA, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Brent Thoma

Brent Thoma, MD, MA, MSc, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Clinician Educator, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Elaine Van Melle

Elaine Van Melle, PhD, Senior Education Scientist, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Adjunct Faculty, Department of Family Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada.