Striving for excellence: developing a framework for the Triple C curriculum in family medicine education.

PROBLEM ADDRESSED Postgraduate medical education programs will need to be restructured in order to respond to curriculum initiatives promoted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM To develop a framework for the Triple C Competency-based Curriculum that will help provide residents with quality family medicine (FM) education programs. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Family Medicine Curriculum Framework (FMCF) incorporates the 4 principles of FM, the CanMEDs-FM roles, the Triple C curriculum principles, the curriculum content domains, and the pedagogic strategies, all of which support the development of attitudes, knowledge, and skills in postgraduate FM training programs. CONCLUSION The FMCF was an effective approach to the development of an FM curriculum because it incorporated not only core competencies of FM health education but also contextual educational values, principles, and dynamic learning approaches. In addition, the FMCF provided a foundation and quality standard to designing, delivering, and evaluating the FM curriculum to ensure it met the needs of FM education stakeholders, including preceptors, residents, and patients and their families.