We have spent the last several years preparing for accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Schools (LCME) and the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS). Many faculty, staff, students, committees, departments and units have worked very hard toward meeting our goal of success.

Now, it is imperative that we spend the next three months ensuring all of us – and our colleagues – are well-informed of our faculty’s accomplishments and the many steps taken towards compliance of the 132 rigorous accreditation standards in five categories:

I: INSTITUTIONAL SETTING
II. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM LEADING TO THE M.D. DEGREE
III. MEDICAL STUDENTS
IV. FACULTY
V. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

I would like to highlight just a few recent accomplishments and I promise to share more of these achievements in the coming weeks and months on our road to success.

• New Associate Dean, Students Dr. Bruce Martin who is responsible for admissions and student affairs. Our commitment to student support and student affairs has also resulted in engaging more faculty for student advising, increasing attention to issues in the learning environment, faculty allocation of space to central student affairs to expand its services on Bannatyne campus, and enhancing access to medical care for students.

• Focus on Curriculum . We now have three, very active, very dedicated groups working towards enhancing our curriculum and mapping it to meet today’s national standards: curriculum fix, curriculum renewal and curriculum mapping processes are all underway.

• New UGME Learning Objectives. These objectives are organized around seven primary roles or areas of responsibility. These roles, arising from the CanMEDS 2005 framework of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, are believed to be foundational for the practice of medicine. The roles are:

1. Medical Expert
2. Communicator
3. Collaborator
4. Manager
5. Health Advocate
6. Scholar
7. Professional
View the entire document here

Please join me Wednesday, Jan. 12 from 10:00 – 11:30 am in Gaspard Theatre for a Dean’s Town Hall on Accreditation & Research. You will have the chance to ask questions or comment.