Impact of accreditation on Caribbean medical schools’ processes

Abstract

Background: Caribbean graduates contribute significantly to the US healthcare workforce. The accreditation requirements of local governments vary from one Caribbean island to another island. The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) requirement that all future applicants be graduates from accredited medical schools drove Caribbean medical schools to seek accreditation. Accreditation has been found to significantly impact the educational processes of Canadian medical schools. Our study aims at investigating Caribbean medical school leaders’ perceptions of the impact of accreditation on their school’s processes.
 Methods: This qualitative study and data analysis were done using a framework analysis. Academic leaders and faculty members from three different types of Caribbean medical schools (accredited, denied-accreditation schools, never applied for accreditation) were interviewed using semi-structured interviews.
 Results: A total of 12 participants from six different Caribbean medical schools participated in the interview process. Themes of processes influenced by accreditation at Caribbean medical schools were similar to those found in the Canadian context and align with best practices of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).
 Conclusions: Caribbean medical schools are changing their educational processes as a result of accreditation requirements. Some processes are not maintained in a continuous manner, raising questions about the development of a true CQI culture.

Quality assurance in health professions education: Role of accreditation and licensure

“…Accreditation status, more specifically, has been associated with higher first‐attempt pass rates, and certain standards have been reported as associated with better scores 26–28 . A study based on three Caribbean medical schools found that implementing a self‐study committee with a regular data collection and monitoring processes caused a positive impact 29 …”

“…[26][27][28] A study based on three Caribbean medical schools found that implementing a self-study committee with a regular data collection and monitoring processes caused a positive impact. 29 Crampton et al 30 concluded that quality assurance efforts depend on contextual factors, which determine positive and negative impact. The organisational resistance to external quality assurance (dissociative features) triggers negative mechanisms leading to poor outcomes (limited compliance, resistance).…”

Ensino remoto emergencial na Medicina: aspectos positivos e negativos no ensino e na aprendizagem em tempos de pandemia

“…O fato de a maioria dos artigos tratar de componentes curriculares isolados, em especial anatomia e patologia, pode indicar uma maior disponibilidade de recursos pedagógicos virtuais para a sua utilização, como atlas 3D, estruturas de realidade virtual e realidade aumentada 45 . Também é possível destacar que uma parte considerável dos artigos abordou o curso de Medicina como um todo 14,15,24,25,28,30,34,41,[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53] em sua análise, o que é importante para se ter uma observação geral do quadro, mas isso elimina as especificidades de cada área.…”

Evaluasi Pemasaran Jasa Pendidikan Tinggi Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Perguruan Tinggi

“…Akreditasi pendidikan tinggi adalah sarana penjaminan mutu kualitas kepada masyarakat atau komunitas pendidikan tertentu, sehingga ini perlu dipertanggungjawabkan perguruan tinggi dengan relevansinya terhadap praktik pendidikan tinggi (Ahn, 2020;Bandiera et al, 2020). Akreditasi sangatlah penting karena memberikan rasa percaya dan penilaian awal kepada masyarakat baik sebelum melakukan pendaftaran maupun kepercayaan terhadap para lulusan dari tempat terakreditasi baik, sehingga akreditasi perlu dimiliki, diperhatikan, dan diperbarui (Arja et al, 2021;Selesho, 2017). Suatu produk memiliki siklus hidup (life cycle) antara lain pengenalan (Introduction), Pertumbuhan (Growth), Kedewasaan (Maturity), dan Penurunan (Decline), sehingga product yang ditawarkan oleh perguruan tinggi juga perlu diperhatikan jumlah peminatnya, sehingga keberadaan program studi atau product tetap bertahan (Prayitno & Lubis, 2020;Wijanarko & Sulistyawati, 2022).…”