SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine is now on “accreditation with probation.”
U of S President Ilene Busch-Vishniac said that while the college remains fully accredited, there is major work to do.
“We have hit the bottom. We have hit as far down as we can go,” she said.
It’s a struggle the college has been dealing with for more than a decade.
“We were on probation starting in 2002. We worked hard to get off of that, but it took about 6 years,” said Busch-Vishniac.
Being placed back on probation has made it the first medical college in Canada to have been put in this position.
The college was on a “warning of probation” since 2011.
U of S was notified of the decision by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education on Friday.
The group says the college isn’t up to standards.
“Really the problem is a structural problem that dates back to our founding, 60 years ago. Most medical schools were founded with the idea that you intertwine clinical teaching, research, and clinical practice,” said Busch-Vishniac.
But the president says the essential research component continues to be left out, suffocated by an extremely bloated clinical practice.
An implementation plan that addresses the college’s structural issues has been developed and will be discussed by university council this month.
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