Calgary

University of Calgary medical school gets new accreditation in difficult process

The medical school at the University of Calgary has become one of the first to be accredited using new Canadian standards which came into effect last year.

4 of Canada's 17 medical schools have failed to meet the recognized standards in the past decade

University of Calgary entrance
The front entrance at the University of Calgary. (Submitted by the University of Calgary)

The medical school at the University of Calgary has become one of the first to be accredited using new Canadian standards which came into effect last year.

Dr. Jon Meddings, dean of medicine, says renewed accreditation is something that would normally be taken for granted.

But he notes that in the last 10 years, four of Canada's 17 medical schools have failed to meet recognized standards.

He says a school has to do major remedial work to regain the designation once it is lost.

Meddings says failing to achieve accreditation is not only a black eye for a medical school, but can also make it tougher to attract students.

He says the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools evaluates a school on 95 different elements, including curriculum and student evaluation.