Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education
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Canadian radiation oncology (RO) residency programs transitioned to a competency-based medical education (CBME) training model named Competence by Design (CBD) in July 2019. Prior to this, CBD was piloted in a single RO training program to characterize assessment completion and challenges of implementation. Six residents and seven staff participated in a mixed-methods study and were oriented to CBD. ⋯ Three themes were identified: (1) direct observation is the most challenging aspect of CBD to implement; (2) feedback content can be improved; and (3) staff attitude, clinical workflow, and inaccessibility of assessment forms are the primary barriers to completing assessments. This study demonstrates that CBD assessments can be completed regularly in an outpatient radiation oncology setting and that implementation challenges include improving feedback quality, promoting direct observation, and continuing faculty development to improve perceptions of this assessment model. Further study is required to identify best practices and expectations for the discipline in the era of CBME.