不良研究所

February 12, 2025

UGME Accreditation Update

In follow-up to the last communication on this topic, below is an update on the Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) program accreditation review.

First, however, we would like to thank everyone involved. Your hard work throughout the accreditation process and your ongoing support of the program are deeply appreciated.

Brief recap

The UGME accreditation review, which occurs at eight-year intervals, assesses the UGME program at a point in time, in this case 2023, against standards set by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS). It applies exclusively to UGME; the Faculty鈥檚 many other accredited medical and health professional programs are assessed separately.

In early 2024, an external team of reviewers assessed the UGME program based on the extensive documentation and survey data gathered and submitted in 2023. The team also met with students, faculty and staff involved in the program.

In spring 2024, a preliminary report was prepared by the external team and submitted to the CACMS.鈥疶he CACMS considered this report, together with additional information provided by the UGME team, and submitted its findings to the Faculty in fall 2024. The Faculty subsequently requested that the CACMS reconsider its initial findings to ensure all key information had been appropriately considered.

CACMS decision and UGME action plan

On February 7, 2025, we received the final accreditation decision from CACMS, confirming that our UGME program is fully accredited, with probation. This means we will need to make changes or provide further information to address the points raised by CACMS over the next 18 to 24 months. This work is underway and, in some cases, has already been completed.

While we had hoped for a more positive CACMS decision, we were very encouraged to see that the majority of elements related to curriculum design and content, student academic support and career advising, and student health and counseling services, among many others, were found to be satisfactory. This is a reflection of the tremendous work completed by UGME faculty and staff, in collaboration with students, since the last accreditation review. Thank you, again, to all who were involved.

Most unsatisfactory elements are procedural in nature; some relate to resources and infrastructure.

The UGME preliminary action plan to address elements to improve is available here.

Building on our strengths

UGME and the Faculty take quality improvement very seriously. We also fully appreciate the importance of common national standards.

In the last decade, we have invested heavily in the UGME program and implemented major improvements to meet and surpass accreditation criteria, all while working to address healthcare workforce needs under evolving, often challenging, conditions. We have confidence in the quality of our UGME curriculum, teaching and student support. These are not in question.

We are proud of our faculty, postgraduate trainees and staff, who are committed to training physicians prepared to provide expert, compassionate patient care of the highest standard. We are equally proud of our medical students, who are recognized as among the best in North America.

Thank you, again, everyone, for all you are doing, day in and day out, to advance our teaching mission, together, in pursuit of excellence in health education and care.

We will provide regular updates in UGME News, Info-MDCM and other channels as appropriate.

We encourage you to review the preliminary action plan here.
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