U of A medical dean to head all-Canadian accreditation body
Canada’s 17 medical schools will no longer need the stamp of approval from a longstanding American accreditation committee under a new agreement worked out this spring.
A Canadian committee that formerly worked with the U.S. committee will do the job exclusively, said Douglas Miller, dean of medicine at the University of Alberta, and appointed to implement the new mandate of the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools.
Miller also announced Monday the U of A medical school received a strong accreditation report this spring, making it the last Canadian school to be evaluated jointly by Canada’s accreditation committee and the American committee, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
This is the U of A’s first full accreditation exercise since the medical school came under criticism in 2006 and was threatened with probationary status.
The school revamped its teaching strategies and tackled a culture of harassment of medical students. By 2010, the school met the criteria.
In the June 2014 report (schools are evaluated at least every eight years), the medical school met all 132 standards and exceeded expectations in some areas, including giving students access to research going on the school, Miller said.
“Our medical students actively contributed to this highly successful medical school accreditation,” said Miller.
Despite tough budget cuts last year, the school was able to hold on to its resources for teaching, a key factor in getting good grades.
“We knew that would be reviewed,” said Miller.
The school also spent a lot of effort on improving the “student environment” to put an end to the culture of harassment cited last time by the accreditation committee, said Miller.
The school set up a hotline to report unfair treatment and changed teaching methods (for instance, using a more hands-on approach as opposed to traditional lectures).
Students also have a chance to get involved with research by many of the professors at the medical school, a unique program, said Miller.
The school is home to about 100 scientists funded under the former Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.
Irfan Khenrani, president of the medical students association, praised Miller’s efforts preparing for the accreditation visit this spring, especially in establishing a more positive climate for students.
“The emphasis on education is way ahead of where it was when I came three years ago,” said Khenrani.
Miller acknowledged discussions around a doctor shortage in Alberta. The problem may well be to get more graduates to chose family medicine, he said.
But this year, 44 per cent of students chose family medicine (almost twice the usual number) and that’s progress, Miller said.
U of A is accredited for between 160 and 165 students, down from a high of 190 students a decade ago.