Tobacco control competencies for US medical students

Alan C. Geller
Jane G. Zapka, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Katie R. Brooks
Catherine Dube, Brown University
Catherine A. Powers, Boston University School of Medicine
Nancy A. Rigotti
Joseph O'Donnell
Judith K. Ockene, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Abstract

The 2004 National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation recommended that the US Department of Health and Human Services convene a diverse group of experts to ensure that competency in tobacco dependence interventions be a core graduation requirement for all new physicians and other key health care professionals. Core competencies would guide the design of new modules and explicitly outline the learning objectives for all graduating medical students.In 2002, the National Cancer Institute funded a consortium to develop, test, and integrate tobacco curricula at 12 US medical schools. Because there was neither an explicit set of tobacco competencies for medical schools nor a process to develop them, one of the consortium's tasks was to articulate competencies and learning objectives.