Professor Rowley (August 2004 JRSM1) correctly identifies Skills for the New Millennium: Report of the Societal Needs Working Group CanMEDS 2000 as an influential document identifying necessary elements in the area of professionalism. However, he errs in indicating it was a product of the Canadian Medical Association. It was authored by a working group of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). The CanMEDS framework was developed and validated from 1993 to 1996. It was incorporated into Canadian specialty postgraduate education during the next six years along with enhanced material for faculty development. The CanMEDS framework of competencies that began as an initiative of forward-thinking Fellows of the RCPSC has become a popular standard for medical education around the world, including Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark and the UK.
References
- 1.Rowley DI. The surgeon's job: how should we assess trainees? J R Soc Med 2004;97: 363-5 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]