Discussion of a three-point plan to deal with a looming accreditation issue at ±«Óătv Medical School ended in a round of applause at a surprisingly upbeat Faculty of Medicine town hall meeting, Wednesday, in Halifax.
The subject of the meeting was a notice of intent received by the school from its American-based accrediting body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). It calls for the school’s accreditation to be renewed on a 24-month probationary basis. The finding has no force or effect at this stage, pending the outcome of an appeal, which the school is launching. In the meantime the medical school’s undergraduate medical education program remains fully accredited.
|
ĚýMany of those in attendance were energized by the idea and follow-up emails have started to pour into the Dean’s Office from individuals throughout the Faculty offering their expertise and help to implement the plan. Most of the attendees were in Halifax, but a number joined the meeting by video-conference from various sites in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The aggressive three-point strategy calls for the school to appeal the LCME finding, continue its efforts—ongoing at the time of the accreditation review—to make needed improvements, and launch a major curriculum renewal.
Dr. Marrie says he envisions a renewal “that will exceed current LCME standards and put ±«Óătv on the leading edge of undergraduate medical education in Canada.”Ěý
He pointed out the LCME, even while raising concerns about our undergraduate program, acknowledges the excellent outcomes of ±«Óătv’s medical graduates. “This is the critical test of any medical education program, and we continue to pass it with flying colours each year. That’s why I’m so confident we will be able to deal in relatively short order with the issues raised by the LCME.”
“±«Óătv’s 2009 graduating class,” he noted, “led the country in obtaining their first choice of residency placements in the national competition, organized by the Canadian Resident Matching Service. Our ±«Óătv medical graduates also consistently score in the top quartile of Canadian medical students in national licensure exams.”
Should ±«Óătv’s appeal fail, and the initial finding of the LCME stand, the medical school will have 24 months to fix the issues cited by the LCME. During that period the school would remain accredited. “The situation would not compromise our students’ ability to qualify as doctors or their acceptance into postgraduate programs of their choice,” said Dr. Marrie. Further, he said, “it will not affect our MD program in New Brunswick, which is on track to open as an accredited program in September 2010.”