The Educational Alliance: Essential to Implement Competency-Based Health Professions Education

The educational alliance describes a framework for the trusting relationship between trainee and supervisor as they engage in meaningful, effective feedback. This framework emphasizes interpersonal relationships, shared goals, and agreement on actionable steps to achieve these goals. In this theory-informed conceptual analysis, the authors propose that the educational alliance logically extends to support and enhance competency-based medical education and health professions education, collectively known as competency-based health professions education (CBHPE). Authors describe how key features of the educational alliance align with the five core components of CBHPE: outcome-based competencies, sequenced progression, tailored learning experiences, competency-focused instruction, and programmatic assessment – by facilitating individualized learning that is centered on the trainee-supervisor relationship. Relevant theories that support the effective implementation of the educational alliance in CBHPE to advance learning include growth mindset and self-regulated learning theories. Authors present specific actionable recommendations regarding trainee and supervisor roles and responsibilities within an educational alliance for creating shared mental models, building relationships, engaging in team training, and attending to ethical considerations, including conflicts of interest and using data for the determination of trainee competency and advancement. Additionally, the authors introduce an Educational Agreement applicable to all training levels, designed to foster, guide, and strengthen the educational alliance. The Agreement is intended to be voluntary, co-constructed, and may be adapted to local contexts. Finally, the authors identify areas for future empirical examination through research on the educational alliance in CBHPE programs.