"Competencies are observable abilities of a health professional related to a specific activity that integrates knowledge, skills, values and attitudes."
Frank et al, 2010
The Competencies are organised according to the ten domains of the RACP Professional Practice Framework. These competencies apply to both Basic Training in Adult Internal Medicine and Paediatrics & Child Health.
How to browse related content
Some parts of the curriculum standards relate to content in other curriculum standards. For example, in the Medical Expertise domain you can access links to related Entrustable Professional Activities and related Knowledge Guide content. View the related content within each of the following domains by clicking the '+' symbol.
The Competencies for Basic Training provide guidance into the professional behaviours, values and practices expected of a trainee.
Medical expertise
Theme
Knowledge
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Develop knowledge of the scientific basis of health and disease and apply this to the management of patients (see knowledge guides).
Acute management
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Recognise critically unwell patients, initiate management, and escalate as appropriate.
Synthesis
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Gather relevant data via age- and context-appropriate means to develop reasonable differential diagnoses, recognising and considering interactions and impacts of comorbidities.
Management
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Formulate management plans in partnership with patients, families, or carers1 and in collaboration with the health care team.
1References to patients in the remainder of this document may include their families or carers.
Broader considerations
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Develop diagnoses and management plans that integrate an understanding of individual patients’ circumstances, including psychosocial factors and specific vulnerabilities, epidemiology, and population health factors (see knowledge guides).
Communication
Theme
Effective communication skills
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Use effective and appropriate verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills.
Communication with patients, families, and carers
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Demonstrate collaborative, effective, and empathetic communication with patients, families, and carers.
Communication with professionals and professional bodies
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Demonstrate collaborative, respectful, and empathetic clinical communication with juniors, peers, senior colleagues, and other health professionals and agencies.
- Demonstrate collaborative and effective communication regarding training with supervisors and professional bodies.
Quality and safety
Theme
Patient safety
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Take responsibility for the safe care of individual patients.
Prevention and management of risks and potential harm
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Optimise safe working practices.
- Understand and participate in recognition of and reporting on adverse events and errors to improve healthcare systems.
Quality improvement
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Engage in continuous quality improvement methods.
Teaching and learning
Theme
Lifelong learning
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Undertake effective self-education and continuing professional development.
Teaching and supervising others
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Use appropriate educational techniques to promote understanding of health and disease amongst patients.
- Use appropriate educational techniques to facilitate the learning of peers, junior colleagues, and other health professionals.
- Provide supervision for junior colleagues.
Research
Theme
Evidence-based practice
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Refer to evidence-based clinical guidelines and critically analyse medical literature, understanding the limitations of evidence and the challenges of applying research in daily practice.
Formal research
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Understand research methodology and the process for designing a research project.
Cultural competence
Theme
Developing cultural competency
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Identify and address their own cultural learning needs.
Practicing in a culturally competent manner
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Communicate effectively with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
- Recognise and respect the influence of cultural and religious backgrounds, attitudes and beliefs, and socioeconomic backgrounds, when managing and treating patients.
- Recognise how the special status of Māori (New Zealand) and the special history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Australia) impacts on their current health status.
Supporting culturally appropriate practices
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Identify and act on cultural bias or inequity within healthcare services and other organisations.
- Develop effective cross-cultural partnerships to improve health outcomes.
Ethics and professional behaviour
Theme
Honesty and integrity
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Reflect critically on personal beliefs and attitudes, including how these may impact on patients’ care.
- Conduct themselves honestly, including reporting accurately, not cheating or plagiarising, and acknowledging their own errors.
- Prioritise patients’ welfare and community benefit above self-interest.
Responsibility and participation
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Be personally and socially accountable, consistent with professional and community expectations.
- Practise within their own limits and within ethical and professional frameworks, and seek help when needed.
- Recognise and respect the personal and professional integrity, roles, and contribution of peers.
- Interact equitably, collaboratively, and respectfully with other health professionals.
Respect and sensitivity
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Respect patients, avoid any inappropriate relationships, and behave equitably towards all.
- Protect patients’ rights to privacy and confidentiality.
Compassion and empathy
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Demonstrate a caring attitude towards patients.
- Understand and address patients', families', carers', and colleagues' physical and emotional health needs.
Medical and health ethics and law
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Understand and practise according to current community and professional ethical standards and legal requirements.
Judgement and decision making
Theme
Diagnostic reasoning
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Apply sound diagnostic reasoning to clinical problems, to make logical and safe clinical decisions.
- Apply judicious and cost-effective use of health resources to their practice.
Task delegation
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Recognise their own limitations and seek help when required.
- Apply good judgement and decision making to the delegation of tasks.
Leadership, management, and teamwork
Theme
Managing others and providing Leadership
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Develop leadership and management skills to enable them to become a role model and leader in professional practice.
Teamwork
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
Wellbeing
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Maintain personal health and wellbeing and consider the health and safety of juniors, peers, senior colleagues, and other health professionals.
Health policy, systems, and advocacy
Theme
The broader context of health
Competency
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
- Understand the health needs of the local community and the broader health needs of the people of Australia and New Zealand.
- Understand the population health approach to the prevention of illness, promotion of health, and control of disease.
- Understand current strategies to reduce inequities in health status.
Health systems, economics, and policy
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Demonstrate a basic understanding of health funding and the influence of societal, political, and economic pressures.
Advocacy
By the completion of Basic Training, a trainee will be able to:
Respond to individual patients’ health needs by advocating for them within and outside the clinical environment.