Accreditation is a process of quality assurance in postsecondary education that determines whether an institution or program meets established standards for function, structure, and performance. The process fosters continual institutional and program improvement.
Programs in the Faculty of Medicine that receive accreditation include:
MD Undergraduate Program
The Committee on the Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) ensures that Canadian medical faculties’ undergraduate medical education programs meet the quality expected when producing tomorrow’s doctors. Medical schools demonstrating compliance are afforded accreditation, a necessary condition for a program’s graduates to be licensed as physicians.
For more information, visit the CACMS website.
Current Status:
In June 2019, the CACMS voted to continue full accreditation of the MD undergraduate program for the balance of the 8-year term, until the next full review in academic year 2024/25.
Midwifery Education Program
The UBC Midwifery Program undergoes an approval process with the College of Midwives of British Columbia every 5 – 7 years. National Midwifery Education Program Accreditation Processes are currently being developed.
Occupational Therapy
The accreditation body of the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT). The accreditation process is a continual quality improvement process that includes a self-study, off site and on site reviews, and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) plan using the CAOT academic accreditation standards.
Current Status:
The UBC Master of Occupational Therapy program currently holds the full 7-year accreditation and will enter into another cycle of accreditation by October 2019. The Department will begin preparations for the off-site documentation and on-site visit in the Summer of 2018 that will include students, staff, clinical faculty, faculty and other stakeholders involved in our program.
Physical Therapy
The accreditation body of the Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) program is the Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (PEAC).
The accreditation program is comprised of five components:
- Program Self-Study Report – Program faculty and staff prepare the Self-Study Report (SSR) and related documentation required for the accreditation process; other stakeholders may be involved including students, university administrators, and practitioners. The self-study is an opportunity for the education program to systematically assess the program’s outcomes and identify areas of strength as well as areas where strategies may need to be developed to improve or maintain program quality.
- On-Site Review – A group of trained surveyors comprises the Peer Review Team (PRT) to conduct the On-Site Review of the education program. The primary purpose of the On-Site Review is to verify and supplement evidence provided in the SSR and to assess the program in its environment.
- Preparation of Peer Review Team Report – Members of the PRT prepare and submit a report of their on-site review to PEAC. Included in the report is information about evidence of the program’s compliance with accreditation standards, and related issues, weaknesses, deficiencies, or comments.
- Decision-making Regarding Accreditation Status – The PEAC Accreditation Committee reviews all relevant information and makes a judgment about the program’s accreditation status. Information that is reviewed includes the Program’s SSR, the PRT Report, response of the education program to the PRT Report, the PEAC Primary Reviewers Report, and other information or materials as required. Information about the accreditation status awarded is then provided to the program via an Accreditation Review and Status Report that also includes information about any follow-up requirements.
- Ongoing Periodic Review, Updating, and Reporting – Once accreditation status is awarded the program is responsible for maintaining compliance with the accreditation standards against which it was evaluated. The education program faculty and staff prepare and submit regular annual reports about the program’s status.
Full review of accreditation status is conducted every six years, or sooner if there are major changes in the education program.
Current Status:
The UBC Department of Physical Therapy underwent a full accreditation review in 2013, and was awarded “Accreditation, Fully Compliant.” The next review will be conducted at the beginning of 2019.
Postgraduate Medical Education
The accreditation bodies for the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) program are the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
Brief description of the accreditation process: The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) have developed national standards for evaluation and accreditation of residency programs sponsored by the University.
Assessments of each residency program are based on compliance with meeting these standards. The RCPSC and CFPC conduct conjoint external surveys of residency programs on a six-year cycle. There are two categories of accreditation standards for both RCPSC and CFPC residency programs. The A standards are general standards applicable to the university and affiliated training sites, whereas the B standards are standards applicable to individual residency programs.
RCPSC: The accreditation process is based on a system of regular surveys of the specialty and subspecialty residency programs of each Canadian medical school on a six-year cycle. The primary purpose of a survey is to provide the Accreditation Committee and the specialty committees of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada with a first-hand evaluation of each accredited program and the extent to which it meets the standards of accreditation. The presence of experienced medical educators from other universities also provides occasion for an exchange of ideas.
CFPC: The purpose of the accreditation of residency programs by the CFPC Accreditation Committee is twofold: to attest to the educational quality of accredited programs and to ensure sufficient uniformity and portability to allow residents from across Canada to qualify for the CFPC examinations as residency eligible candidates. Accreditation is voluntary and is conducted at the request of faculties of medicine at Canadian universities. The CFPC considers for accreditation only family medicine, emergency medicine, and enhanced skills residency programs based in departments of family medicine at Canadian university faculties of medicine. Programs in Palliative Medicine are also considered for accreditation under a conjoint process with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Current Status:
UBC PGME residency programs underwent external surveys for accreditation in 2013.
Audiology & Speech Sciences
The accreditation body for the MSc in Audiology and Speech Sciences Program is the Council for Accreditation of Canadian University Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
The accreditation process requires the submission of a self-study report by the program, including information about the program’s compliance with the standards for registration of graduates with provincial regulatory bodies within Canada. After receiving the submission from a program, a site-visit by an accreditation review panel takes place. The site-review panel then forwards its findings and recommendations to the Accreditation Board. The program is asked to respond to the review panel’s recommendations. After reviewing the recommendations by the site-review panel and the program’s response, the Accreditation Board decides whether the program will receive full/partial/no accreditation. The current accreditation cycle is 7-years long.
Current Status:
The MSc in Audiology and Speech Sciences at UBC received full accreditation (for 7 years) in 2011. The next accreditation review will begin in the Fall of 2017, with the reaccreditation decision announced in the Spring of 2018.
Genetic Counselling
The accreditation body of the Master of Science in Genetic Counselling program is the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC).
Current Status:
In the spring of 2017, the ACGC granted UBC’s MSc in Genetic Counselling program full accreditation for the maximum allowed period of 8 years. The next accreditation review will take place in 2025.