Perspectives of the Key Stakeholders of the Alignment and Integration of the SaudiMEDs Framework into the Saudi Medical Licensure Examination: A Qualitative Study

Purpose: The purpose of the Saudi Medical Education Directives Framework (SaudiMEDs) is to assure the essential level of competencies for medical graduates, which should be reflected in the Saudi Medical Licensure Examination (SMLE). This study explored the opinions of key stakeholders of the alignment and integration of the SMLE's blueprint and contents with the SaudiMEDs competency framework's themes and domains. Participants and Methods: This was a qualitative case study, using a purposive sampling technique. Ten participants participated in the study representing the main stakeholders. The participants were four deans, an assistant dean, two residents, and three interns of various colleges of medicine (COM). In-depth interviews were conducted through a semi-structured format, either online or in-person. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to the general guidelines of qualitative content analysis. Results: Four major themes emerged from the data, including the current alignment practices of the COM, competencies enhanced through preparing according to the SMLE, the SaudiMEDs representation in the SMLE, and finally a roadmap to achieve optimum alignment between the SaudiMEDs and the SMLE. Conclusion: The participants were knowledgeable about the SaudiMEDs and perceived the SMLE blueprint and contents to be partially aligned with the themes and domains of the SaudiMEDs competency framework. The responses suggested that additional effort is required to improve the current alignment to assess the competencies of COM graduates appropriately.