We strive to provide competent care for our patients. This begs the question of what we mean by competence. We rely on the standard definition of: an ability to do something successfully or efficiently. 

In our case we strive to be both successful AND efficient. In clinical care, competence is also understood to encompass a provider’s knowledge about their area of specialty and ability to provide that care appropriately. To ensure we are competent we have committed ourselves to being life long students and engage in continual educational opportunities. 

We are also committed to teaching clinicians in training. This requires us to be current in our clinical knowledge. In addition, teaching requires that we have a higher level of understanding of the material so that we not only apply it appropriately in clinical care but also can convey it to the student effectively. 

In the end, our commitment to competent care enables us to provide the best available care for a patient’s condition. It is the kind of care we would like as a patient and it is the kind of care we provide to our patients.