The evolution of professional health sciences licensure exams, particularly the shift to competency-based assessments and an increased focus on professional skills, necessitates a curriculum recalibration. This interactive focus session will guide health sciences education faculty through the rationale behind these changes, emphasizing the move toward integrated, skills-based assessment models. We will explore practical strategies for adapting existing curricula to enhance horizontal and vertical integration of foundational sciences with newly emphasized topics in communication, ethics, and patient safety. Participants will engage in small group brainstorming to design curricular activities that meet these new needs, addressing challenges such as declining first-time pass rates. The session will conclude with how to leverage AI tools for efficient content generation, such as creating new case studies and practice questions. Our goal is to empower faculty with the knowledge and tools to effectively align their teaching with modern professional standards and foster a more holistic approach to student learning and assessment.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the evolving landscape of health sciences licensure exams, including the shift toward competency-based assessment and its impact on pass rates.
• Analyze how their current curriculum aligns with the new integrated, systems-based content model.
• Identify opportunities for enhancing vertical and horizontal integration of foundational sciences with professional competencies.
• Ideate at least one new, actionable curricular activity focused on communication, patient safety, or ethics through small-group brainstorming.
• Formulate effective prompts to utilize AI as a tool for generating new teaching content, such as case studies and practice questions.