Challenges of Developing Religious Competencies in Medical Education in Iran: A Qualitative Study

ompetency-Based Medical Education (CBME) concentrates on identifying the required abilities of the graduates through analysis of community and patients' needs and their fulfillment in a flexible and learner-centered manner (1) and redesigning the curricula in a multidimensional, dynamic, developmental and contextual approach (2) to ensure the capabilities necessary for an effective healthcare service to the target community. In competency-based education, the curricula are designed by prospective analysis of the actual roles of the graduates in modern societies, trying to ensure the learner's acquirements on the basis of their represented functions in all or parts of that dimensions (3). Thus, CBME is a mechanism to align the goals of educational programs with the needs of patients and provide desirable services for them (1). In this way, it is necessary to monitor the emerging needs and demands with the aim of adapting with them. Acceptance of spiritual health as a dimension of health has led to an attention to spirituality as an important issue in health care while on the other hand, the undeniable overlap of C Abstract