UME program receives full accreditation status for eight years
The Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry underwent a peer-review accreditation process in April 2015. This intensive four-day review was preceded by more than two years of preparation during which all aspects of the Schulich Medicine curriculum were reviewed.
It was led by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) in collaboration with the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME).
Accreditation is one lens of an ongoing quality-improvement process for Canadian medical education that culminates in an external peer-review process once every eight years.
It is a standards-based mandatory process that demonstrates that medical schools possess the essential standards and elements necessary to deliver our students a quality medical education program and is meeting the needs of stakeholders.
It also guarantees for all that the UME program is pedagogically sound and aligns with the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s and Western University’s plan, mission, vision and values and accepted standards in Canadian medical education.
The UME program has received full accreditation status for eight years.
“We are proud of the eight-year accreditation status that was earned as a team effort from faculty, staff, residents, health-care partners, graduates and our students through strong leadership and tireless collaboration,” said Dr. Michael J. Strong, dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
During the site visit, the accreditation team commended the School for its strength in a number of areas including strategic planning; fostering research, intellectual challenge and inquiry; the integration of the Windsor Program into the overall UME program; and academic and personal counselling through the School’s Learner Equity & Wellness office.
In total, 132 standards were reviewed through the CACMS process. These cover five categories: Institutional Setting; Educational Program for the MD Degree; Medical Students; Faculty; and Educational Resources.
Of these 132 standards, CACMS identified that Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, as a School, needs to address its approach to Diversity; Interprofessional Education; Preparation of Resident and Non-Faculty Instructors; and Service Learning, and strengthen its approach to the process of direct observation of student assessment in clinical learning.
Schulich Medicine & Dentistry is committed to enriching its curriculum and strengthening the School and, as with any continuous improvement processes, will now turn attention to each of the areas identified through the accreditation process and ensure they are achieved and the high quality of programs are maintained.
Progress on each of the plans associated with the standards will be shared with all stakeholders on a regular basis and reported on the School’s website.
The School extends its sincere appreciation to Dr. Shannon Venance, Dr. Gary Tithecott, Dr. Gerry Cooper, Matt Wannan, Nicole Sbrocca, Matt Longstaffe and Susan Paroutis for their outstanding leadership and administrative management of the accreditation process. Appreciation is also extended to our Chairs and Chair/Chiefs, whose level of commitment to this process contributed to its success, as well as the UME Office, our medical student leadership and all faculty, staff and students across the School who participated in and supported the accreditation process.
