Table 2 Overview of the eight types of requirements and their focus on the effectiveness and/or continuity of competency development

Competency frameworks

The selection, utilization, and implementation of appropriate competency frameworks played a crucial role in effective competency development.

An appropriate and clear competency framework that fits to the context and is closely connected to the healthcare workplace might improve the effectiveness of competency development.

Using the same appropriate and clear competency framework throughout the entire educational program and thereafter might improve the continuity of competency development.

Reflection and feedback

Encouraging students to engage in reflective practices, also at a higher level than daily practices, and providing constructive feedback were identified as important factors in enhancing competency development.

The engagement of students in reflection, on daily practices ánd on global competency development, linked to the predefined competencies, might improve the effectiveness. Moreover, the involvement of mentors in giving appropriate feedback that supports a student’s learning process might improve the effectiveness of competency development.

Taking along reflections and related feedback from previous internships and program years might improve the continuity. Moreover, focusing on competency development next to focusing on separate competency units might improve the continuity of competency development.

Assessment

The design and implementation of robust assessment methods and tools were essential for evaluating competency development accurately and support its continuity.

The design and implementation of an assessment tool should consist of clear assessment criteria and should allow valid, objective, and smooth assessment to improve the effectiveness of competency development (e.g., matching the assessment scale to the context, use of a rubric, etc.).

The design and implementation of an assessment tool should allow taking into account the development of competencies. Also, taking the same assessment tool along might improve the continuity of competency development.

The continuity of competency development

Ensuring the continuity and progression of competency development throughout the WIL experience emerged as a critical requirement.

The educational program should allow students to take along their competency development throughout their educational program (e.g., by not closing a program year in the used ePortfolio); it should provide enough learning opportunities by offering a sufficient amount of internship places so that competencies might be continuously developed within similar contexts to improve the continuity of competency development.

Mentor involvement

Active involvement and guidance from mentors significantly influenced the effectiveness of competency development during WIL.

Ideally, one-to-one guidance is preferred. However, as this is often not feasible in practice, the awareness of mentors when it comes to a student’s competencies to achieve and the active provision of learning opportunities might improve the effectiveness of competency development.

ePortfolios

The use of ePortfolios provided a valuable platform for documenting and supporting competency development.

An ePortfolio might support both the assessment for learning and the assessment of learning. Combining both in one tool might improve the effectiveness of competency development [119–122].

An ePortfolio might enable taking competency development throughout the entire internship, program year and thereafter hereby improving the continuity of competency development.

Competency development visualizations

Visual representations and tools that visually mapped competency development and progress facilitated the understanding and monitoring of competency development.

The detection of competency gaps might be facilitated by using an appropriate visualization so that learning opportunities could be developed, which in turn might improve the effectiveness of competency development.

A visualization of competency growth might improve the continuity, before and after graduation, as competencies are taken along and students are being stimulated to keep working on their competencies to improve the continuity of competency development.

Competency development after graduation

Recognizing the importance of ongoing competency development even after graduation was identified as an essential requirement.

Recognizing and emphasizing the importance of competency development after graduation might increase the intrinsic motivation of students and graduates to keep developing their competencies.