WATCH: Senior Anchor Jamie Orchard speaks to McGill Medicine Student Association president Doulia Hamad and student Nebras Warsi on what the program’s probation status means for students.
MONTREAL – McGill’s medical student association is squashing any fears that education will be affected after it was announced Wednesday the school’s undergraduate program was put on probation.
“It’s mostly an administrative thing,” said Nebras Warsi, a second year McGill medical student and past president of the student association.
“On the student and faculty side of things it’s actually a positive thing for our new curriculum and move to super hospital.”
On Wednesday, the dean of McGill University’s undergraduate medical association sent an e-mail out to students explaining that the U.S. Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) and the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) found the program “non-compliant” for 24 of the 132 accreditation standards.
“We are transitioning between curricula,” wrote David Eidelman, Dean of the faculty.
“We were not entirely surprised that areas for improvement were identified.”
McGill’s last accreditation assessment was eight years ago.
READ MORE: McGill University’s medicine program put on probation by governing body
Since then, Warsi explained the program has revamped itself.
Students in their first and second years are part of a new curriculum, while students in their third and fourth year are still using the old syllabus.
There are 750 medical undergraduate students.
“Our standard of learning has actually increased because the new curriculum came out of previous accreditations,” said Warsi.
In the accreditation process, there are three outcomes: full accreditation, accreditation with probation and denied accreditation.
The program is currently not at risk of losing its teaching status.
The university has two years to modify the program so that it is up to standard.
“It’s good because they’ll come back in two years and see the progress we made,” said Warsi.
“The word ‘probation’ can sound scary, but it’s a normal par of the process – of our growing pains.”
Faculty Dean David Eidelman will meet with students on Monday to address their concerns.
“McGill is a great school,” said Warsi.
“That’s why we came here, that’s why we choose to stay here.”
Warsi said he believes this is the first time McGill’s medical program has come under scrutiny and put on probation.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
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