Obesity Competencies | World Obesity Federation

Obesity Competencies

Track the development of your obesity management skills with SCOPE.

World Obesity Federation - SCOPE

SCOPE E-Learning now tracks the skills you develop as you learn. All 40+ modules have been linked to the Obesity Medicine Education Collaborative (OMEC) competencies, allowing you to identify the courses best suited to enhancing specific obesity management skills.

Each module on the SCOPE platform now includes a list of the competencies you will develop by taking that course. You can also access a list of other modules that will help you further develop that skill. The competencies represent the essential skills for healthcare professionals treating patients presenting with obesity.

 

What are the OMEC competencies?

The OMEC competencies are 32 obesity-related knowledge areas and skills considered essential for the effective assessment, treatment and prevention of obesity.

The competencies were developed by the OMEC, an intersociety group led by the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), The Obesity Society (TOS), and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). They are the first set of competencies to assess the competence of students and healthcare providers to assess, prevent and treat obesity.

The group identified six core domains which are consistent with those used by the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The domains, and the number of competencies in each, are as follows:

  • Patient Care and Procedural Skills (5)
  • Medical Knowledge (13)
  • Practice-Based Learning and Improvement (5)
  • Interpersonal and Communication Skills (3)
  • Professionalism (2)
  • System-Based Practice (4)

For the full list of competencies and information on how they were developed, visit this page.

 

How can I track my skill development with SCOPE?

The information page for each SCOPE module now includes a list of associated skills or knowledge areas(competencies), as shown in the example below:

By clicking on the name of a competency, you will be taken to page with more information on that skill. This will include the five proficiency levels of that competency, with level 5 representing complete mastery of the competency:

The page for each competency also includes a list of other modules that will help you develop that skill, allowing you to select the modules most relevant to you:

By clicking the 'assess' button on the right of the page, you have the option to self-assess your own proficiency in a particular competency based on the benchmarks provided:

Mastering a particular competency is not a requirement of SCOPE Certification. This tool simply aims to help you keep track of the skills you are developing and to decide which of our supplementary modules to take. 

 

How were the modules assessed?

A working group comprising members of World Obesity's Clinical Care Committee reviewed every SCOPE module to determine which of the OMEC competencies are covered in each course. Modules which cover a competency in depth were classified under the level 5 benchmark for that competency; where a module covers the competency less substantially, it was classified under the level 3 benchmark. This is an approximate way of conveying the extent to which each module can help you to develop a particular skill.

Of course, mastery of any clinical skill is dependent on practical experience managing patients as well as the study of theory, and none of these skills can be fully developed through training alone. However, this feature should help you focus your learning on the areas most important to you and give you a better understanding of the skills you are acquiring by taking SCOPE courses.

To learn more about the OMEC competencies, please visit this page.

This programme is partially supported by an unrestricted medical education grant from Novo Nordisk A/S.
Novo Nordisk has had no input into the content of the training.