GMC Jammu strengthens competency-based medical education, trains 206 faculty

Srinagar: Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu has trained 206 medical faculty members from across the state through eight faculty development programmes, strengthening its efforts to implement the competency-based medical education (CBME) in the region.

The training is significant as CBME requires medical teachers to move beyond conventional classroom teaching and focus on defined competencies, practical skills and structured assessment. GMC Jammu has been supporting this transition by training faculty from multiple medical institutions rather than limiting its programmes to teachers within the college. 

The college's role expanded in June 2025, when the National Medical Commission (NMC) designated GMC Jammu as a Regional Centre for Faculty Development. The centre now serves as a training and academic support hub for medical institutions across J&K. 

The 206 faculty members were trained through the Basic Course in Medical Education (BCME) and Revised Basic Course Workshop (RBCW) programmes conducted by GMC Jammu. The programmes have been organised periodically since 2019, including sessions in 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026, allowing the college to build its faculty-development activities over several years. 

The focus of these programmes is to help medical teachers improve the way they plan teaching, engage students, conduct assessments and incorporate competency-based approaches into clinical and classroom education. GMC Jammu has also conducted two Curriculum Implementation Support Programmes (CISP) to help faculty put these principles into practice. 

According to Rising Kashmir, faculty from institutions including GMC Srinagar, SKIMS Soura, SKIMS Medical College Bemina and government medical colleges in Anantnag, Baramulla, Handwara, Kathua, Rajouri, Doda and Udhampur, along with ASCOMS Jammu, are part of the centre's wider network. 

With the regional centre now established, GMC Jammu's faculty-development work has moved from individual training programmes to a broader regional responsibility. The college is expected to continue supporting medical teachers in adopting newer teaching methods, strengthening assessment practices and implementing CBME more effectively across medical institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Regional Centre was established to support faculty development and facilitate the implementation of CBME across medical colleges and institutions within its regional network.