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No Free Lunch in Competency-Based Health Professions Education: Exploring Trade-Offs, Value, and Shared Investment in Health Professions Education Cover

No Free Lunch in Competency-Based Health Professions Education: Exploring Trade-Offs, Value, and Shared Investment in Health Professions Education

Open Access
|Sep 2026

Figures & Tables

Figure 1

No Free Lunch in CBHPE: Interest Holder Value, Contexts, and Shared Investment.

Legend: This conceptual model depicts how the value of competency-based health professions education (CBHPE) emerges from the relationship between benefits and costs (investments). The top bar states the value equation, Value of CBHPE = Benefits ÷ Costs (Investments). Eight interest holder groups (learners, faculty, institutional leaders, government/funders, clinical preceptors, accreditors/regulators, patients/communities, and professional organizations) are shown in the center. Two pillars support the interest holder row. The Contexts pillar highlights that local resources, technology, workload, and learner finances shape how benefits and costs are perceived. The Value Lenses pillar emphasizes that interest holders view value through economic, educational, cultural, and societal perspectives. The bottom bar, Shared Investment Across Interest Holders, underscores the No Free Lunch (NFL) principle: sustainable CBHPE requires aligning beneficiaries with who pays so that investments are distributed across interest holders rather than concentrated on programs and faculty.

Table 1

Interest Holder-Specific ROI Components in Competency-Based Health Professions Education (CBHPE).

INTEREST HOLDERPOTENTIAL ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTPOTENTIAL BENEFIT RECEIVED/RETURN FROM ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT
Learners (Students/Residents)
  • Tuition and fees and financial burden [14, 15]

  • Time and effort in self-directed learning [41, 44, 64]

  • Engagement in feedback, coaching, and assessment processes [50, 51, 62]

  • Consistent participation in program activities [52, 53, 64, 66]

  • Emotional labor, vulnerability in performance-based systems [43, 45]

  • Growth mindset (openness to feedback) [40, 41]

  • Adaptation to identity shifts and new expectations in CBHPE [20]

  • More personalized and developmentally appropriate learning pathways [1, 2, 30]

  • Anticipated clearer expectations and progression toward competence [30]

  • Improved readiness for practice and transition to responsibility [18, 25, 39, 67]

  • Potential for more efficient progression and earlier entry into practice roles [67]

  • Reduced need for remediation and course repetition [62, 63, 64]

  • Improved well-being and work/life balance [43, 45]

  • More frequent and meaningful feedback and coaching [52, 60, 66, 81]

  • Enhanced adaptive expertise for lifelong learning [40, 41]

Faculty (Academic & Clinical)
  • Time for direct observation, feedback, and coaching [56, 61, 64]

  • Participation in faculty development and calibration programs [59, 60, 82]

  • Mentorship and longitudinal learner support [17, 66]

  • Engagement in curriculum design [54, 55]

  • Potential trade-offs with clinical productivity [19, 68]

  • Emotional and cognitive labor associated with coaching roles [62, 81]

  • Adapting to evolving roles and identity shifts required by CBHPE [20]

  • Improved teaching quality and more consistent assessment practices [58, 62, 63, 81]

  • Stronger relationships with learners and enhanced mentorship roles [66]

  • Anticipated clearer alignment between teaching and learner outcomes [30, 63]

  • Enhanced career advancement, promotion, and recognition [25, 59, 68]

  • Opportunities for scholarly work, mentorship, and educational leadership [17, 19]

  • Professional development and training aligned with CBHPE frameworks [60, 66]

  • Potential for improved patient care quality through supervised learner involvement [18] Increased professional satisfaction from meaningful educational roles [16, 17, 59, 60]

Program/Institutions (Educational Leaders)
  • Investment in assessment systems and data infrastructure [19, 52, 53, 73]

  • Faculty development programs and protected faculty time [19, 59, 60, 66]

  • Hiring and retaining qualified educational and administrative staff [19]

  • Strategic planning, policy development, and change management [10, 11]

  • Opportunity cost associated with reallocating resources from legacy systems [27, 28]

  • Improved program quality, alignment, and accountability [18, 38, 39]

  • Potential for stronger accreditation outcomes and regulatory compliance [10, 11, 30, 83]

  • Reduced remediation, delayed progression, and dropout rate [24, 52, 56, 63, 67]

  • Potential for enhanced institutional reputation and prestige due to improved learner outcomes [1, 2, 6]

  • More efficient and safer clinical learning environments [16, 43, 63, 64] Anticipated improved patient care outcomes, including safety at the local level, leading to community trust [31, 35]

  • Long-term financial sustainability [19, 27, 28]

  • Increased ability to attract high-quality faculty, staff, and learners [19, 59]

Governments & Funders
  • Financial investment in education and training systems [27, 28]

  • Policy development and funding alignment [12, 26]

  • Investment in research, evaluation, and innovation initiatives [27, 28] Strengthening accreditation, oversight, and quality assurance mechanisms [84, 85]

  • Opportunity cost associated with reallocating resources from legacy systems [19, 27, 28]

  • Support for rural rotation programs, loan repayment, and targeted specialty funding [26, 71, 86, 87]

  • Potential for improved population health outcomes [26, 31, 33, 88]

  • More efficient and reliable workforce pipeline [46, 47, 48, 89, 90]

  • Measurable return on public investment [27, 28]

  • Better workforce alignment with societal needs (e.g., rural, primary care, shortages) [26, 46, 47, 48, 86, 89, 91]

  • Increased public trust and accountability [21, 84, 85]

  • Strengthened health system resilience and capability [46, 47, 48, 88]

  • Anticipated long-term health system sustainability and improved patient outcomes [31, 32, 33, 88]

  • Enhanced return on public investment in education and health care [27, 28]

Clinical Employers/Preceptors
  • Time and resources for supervision, direct observation, and evaluation [52, 63, 64]

  • Participation in workplace-based assessments and feedback cycle [62, 81]

  • Investment in onboarding and training programs [92]

  • Shifting training to account for contextual variability within systems [18, 80]

  • Protected time for onboarding, coaching, and evaluation [58]

  • Opportunity cost associated with reduced short-term productivity while supporting trainees [18, 68]

  • More practice-ready graduates who require reduced onboarding and supervision [18, 38, 39, 52, 56, 63, 93, 94]

  • Increased workforce efficiency and reduced variability in performance [18, 38, 64]

  • Improved team integration and communication [18]

  • Improved patient safety and quality of care [35, 52, 63]

  • Strengthened pipeline of future employees with increased retention and satisfaction [95]

Accreditors/Regulators
  • Development, refinement, and enforcement of competency frameworks [96, 97]

  • Adaptation of current accreditation and regulation standards to reflect CBHPE [96, 97, 98]

  • Program evaluation and site visit [96, 97]

  • Data collection and analysis of learner performance and program data [52, 53, 96]

  • Supporting continuous quality improvement initiatives [44, 52, 96]

  • Investing in digital infrastructure for monitoring and reporting [52, 53, 96]

  • Training reviewers and regulatory staff in CBHPE-aligned evaluation [96, 97]

  • Opportunity for improved accountability and comparability of outcomes [30, 96, 103]

  • Enhanced public confidence in educational and health systems [96, 97]

  • Fidelity to national/global frameworks [30, 96]

  • Clearer evidence for fidelity and accountability in training [52, 96]

  • More efficient quality assurance and regulatory oversight [96, 97]

  • Potential for earlier identification of competence concerns which may influence downstream remediation, disciplinary actions, or quality concerns. [44, 52, 96, 97, 98]

  • Fewer unsafe practitioners entering the workforce [35, 96]

Patients & Communities
  • Time and engagement in teaching and feedback roles [12, 31, 32, 33]

  • Engaging in community health initiatives [12, 26]

  • Advocacy for quality, accountability, and equity in local health systems [12, 21, 33]

  • Participation in public forums or patient advisory councils [12, 74]

  • Sharing lived experiences to guide curricular and assessment design [12, 74]

  • Improved safety, quality and equity of care [31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36]

  • More patient-centered and culturally responsive care [31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37]

  • Increased trust in healthcare systems and practitioners [21, 84]

  • Better alignment of care with community needs [12, 31, 33]

  • Community influence on training priorities and communication skills [12, 74]

  • Empowered patients who are active partners in care improvement [33]

Professional Organizations
  • Advocacy and policy development at regional, national, or global levels [26]

  • Creation of guidelines, best practices, and supportive resources [99]

  • Support for continuing education, training, and innovation grants [85]

  • Investment in research, best practices, and innovation [77]

  • Developing and updating competency frameworks, entrustable professional activities (EPAs), and standards [30]

  • Convening interest holders across disciplines for consensus building [100]

  • Supporting registries, portfolios, and data systems for outcomes tracking [101]

  • Advancement of national and global standards of care [102]

  • Strengthened professional identity and relevance [21]

  • Enhanced reputation and public trust in the profession [84]

  • Alignment with the evolving scope of practice and workforce needs across disciplines [18, 46, 47, 48]

  • Influence over policy, regulation, and professional norms [26]

  • Increased member engagement, satisfaction, and retention [99]

  • Ability to guide curricular standards, EPAs, and competency frameworks [30]

  • Opportunity for expanded impact on patient outcomes through improved workforce readiness [104]

[i] This table provides a conceptual mapping of potential interest holder-specific investments and the benefits or returns that may result from additional investment in CBHPE. Investments include financial, temporal, cultural/identity, and structural contributions. Benefits/returns include educational, clinical, workforce, societal, and equity-oriented value. The table is not intended as an economic model or quantitative ROI calculation; rather, it illustrates how additional investments may generate value across interest holder groups and why shared responsibility is needed. Note: The cited references reflect a combination of empirical evidence and literature describing proposed, expected, or theoretical benefits of CBHPE. As such, the table is intended to illustrate areas of demonstrated and potential value rather than to assert that all listed outcomes have been empirically established across contexts.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.2574 | Journal eISSN: 2212-277X
Language: English
Page range: 783 - 798
Submitted on: Mar 16, 2026
Accepted on: Jun 10, 2026
Published on: Sep 9, 2026
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 2026 Denise H. Rhoney, Michael A. Barone, Holly Caretta-Weyer, Laura Edgar, Daniel J. Schumacher, John Q. Young, Roberta Ladenheim, Kelly J. Caverzagie, For the International Competency-Based Health Professions Education Collaborators, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.