Musculoskeletal conditions are a major contributor to the burden of disease globally and their impact is predicted to increase.

Consistent with findings in other countries, the current standard of musculoskeletal education in Australian medical schools is inadequate to meet today’s musculoskeletal care requirements.

A national multidisciplinary approach unifying the key musculoskeletal clinical and basic science disciplines has been adopted to provide clear, evidence-based education guidelines that are specifically aimed at priority musculoskeletal conditions; a direct link is therefore established between community health care needs and education at a national level.

This “top-down” approach provides the potential for a far more effective and efficient delivery of musculoskeletal education by allowing the identification of the key basic knowledge and skills required to achieve core competencies and by providing appropriate direction for students.

The Australian Core Competencies in Musculoskeletal Basic and Clinical Science are being developed for medical schools to incorporate into their curricula, with the ultimate aim of improving the standard of health care for Australians with musculoskeletal conditions.