University of Alberta med school receives ‘gold-plated’ accreditation

EDMONTON – After a review of Canadian and American medical schools, the MD program at the U of A has been recognized with a highly successful accreditation.

“The gold-plated accreditation of our medical school reflects the strength and leadership of our Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry,” said U of A President Indira Samarasekera. “The faculty’s success in delivering excellence in medical education and research is a point of pride for the entire university community.”

The Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools and Liaison Committee on Medical Education found the U of A to be compliant with 132 accreditation standards, earning the program a full and unqualified eight-year approval.

“As the last medical school in North America to undergo both CACMS and LCME accreditation, it is gratifying to see that this robust review of our MD program revealed no deficiencies and several strengths,” said Dr. D. Douglas Miller, dean of the medicine and dentistry faculty.

The two accrediting bodies work together with the MD program to ensure the quality of education meets acceptable standards.

This comes after the university’s accreditation was threatened with probation in 2006. An American governing body made the decision after it was alleged that some students were working at a hospital unsupervised and the program curriculum was outdated.

Recognizing programming

Most notably, the university was recognized in its faculty leadership, the richness of student programming, in particular the availability of research programs for students, and the career development programs available to faculty members.

The accreditation process was a peer-reviewed, quality assurance that required a “deep commitment from everyone that is part of the extended Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry family,” said U of A Academic Vice President Carl Amrhein.

U of A medical student Irfan Kherani participated in the review process and appreciates the effort the university has made to ensure a high-quality education.

“The University of Alberta’s accreditation journey is an incredible example of the interdisciplinary and comprehensive work undertaken at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry,” said Kherani. “As students, we appreciate the ongoing and wide-spread engagement pursued by the faculty to continue the tradition of high-quality learning found at the University of Alberta.”

Next Steps

Miller says that accredited programs foster the best education for professional students.

“We expect these efforts to improve upon our already top-quality undergraduate medical education program, and to streamline preparations for future accreditations,” said Miller.

The next steps for the U of A MD program include a continuous quality improvement approach to its accreditation.