Health professions trainees are asked to adapt quickly to high-stakes clinical environments while developing both technical skill and professional identity. Learners may struggle with competence gaps, inefficient approaches, or a lack of confidence, limiting their ability to flourish through challenges, difficulties, complications, and high-stakes situations. This session introduces the Competence–Efficiency–Confidence (CEC) framework, originally developed in veterinary surgical training, as a practical tool for supporting learner adaptability and growth.

In this interactive 90-minute focus session, participants will engage with the framework through short case scenarios, large- and small-group discussions, and application activities. Attendees will first analyze learner cases to determine which element of the framework is most relevant and propose interventions. Facilitators will guide the discussion to highlight reflection as the bridge between competence, efficiency, and confidence. Participants will then identify challenges in their own curricula or clinical settings and use the framework to generate practical strategies for learner growth.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to describe the CEC framework, recognize how its elements interact to influence adaptability, utilize reflection strategies to support learner growth, and generate actionable approaches to integrate the framework into their own teaching and assessment practices.

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe the CEC framework and its application to learner development.
2. Recognize how competence, efficiency, and confidence interact to influence adaptability in clinical education.
3. Utilize reflection strategies to support learner confidence and growth.
4. Generate actionable approaches to integrate the framework into their own curricula or clinical teaching.