Accreditation
MD Program Receives Full Accreditation
The Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) has awarded full accreditation to the FoMD’s MD program. We will be following up on CACMS’s recommendations from the site visit team — some of which we had already identified as priorities in our FoMD strategic plan Vision 2025 and our MD program strategic plan. We will continue to work on these and others as they specifically relate to the CACMs recommendations in the coming months, and we look forward to your ongoing support in this important work.
Among our top priorities will be fostering supportive learning environments for our students. This will also include a focus on social accountability and equity, diversity and inclusivity for the FoMD more broadly. These recommendations will enable us to further develop diverse, competent and compassionate physician leaders to better serve the health needs of all Albertans and across Canada.
Accreditation Process
Accreditation is a peer-reviewed quality-improvement process that ensures medical schools provide the highest quality learning experience to students while meeting the latest national curriculum requirements. Made up of a Medical School Self-Study (MSS), a Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and the Independent Student Analysis (ISA), the process involves meetings with faculty and students to facilitate self-evaluation and improvement. The peer-review process helps to identify strengths and weaknesses, in order to ensure that our strengths continue to shine and any areas of weakness can be addressed.
In preparation for the site visit, all Canadian medical schools complete the following accreditation components:
- Data Collection Instrument (DCI): a comprehensive questionnaire (446 questions) that compiles information required by CACMS on all aspects of the MD Program and the FoMD
- Independent Student Analysis(ISA): a student-led survey of all medical students that leads to a report with analysis and recommendations written by a student task force
- Medical School Self Study (MSS): a review of all available data by a steering committee made up of faculty, staff, and students
As a process of evaluation, accreditation considers three general questions:
- Has the medical school clearly established its mission and goals for the educational program?
- Are the program's curriculum and resources organized to meet its mission and goals?
- What is the evidence that the program is currently achieving its mission and goals and is likely to continue to meet them in the future?
The medical school self-study process and the resulting findings are central to these aims.
The Little Yellow Book for Accreditation 2022
CACMS
Accreditation of Canadian medical schools occurs through the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS), which “was founded in 1979 by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), formerly, the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges (ACMC) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to act as the reliable authority for the accreditation of programs of medical education leading to the MD degree in Canada.
Canadian medical education programs were accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) since 1942 and from 1979 until the present, Canadian schools have been accredited by both the CACMS and the LCME using a joint process” (from: cacms-cafmc.ca). In 2021, it was decided that after a period of transition, Canadian medical schools will no longer be accredited by the LCME.
Accreditation Standards + Elements
As part of the accreditation process, Canadian medical schools must demonstrate compliance with 12 standards and 96 elements. The accreditation standards address items in the following categories:
- Standard 1: Mission, Planning, Organization, and Integrity
- Standard 2: Leadership and Administration
- Standard 3: Academic and Learning Environments
- Standard 4: Faculty Preparation, Productivity, Participation, and Policies
- Standard 5: Educational Resources and Infrastructure
- Standard 6: Competencies, Curricular Objectives, and Curricular Design
- Standard 7: Curricular Content
- Standard 8: Curricular Management, Evaluation, and Enhancement
- Standard 9: Teaching, Supervision, Assessment, and Student and Patient Safety
- Standard 10: Medical Student Selection, Assignment, and Progress
- Standard 11: Medical Student Academic Support, Career Advising, and Educational Records
- Standard 12: Medical Student Health Services, Personal Counselling, and Financial Aid Services