Purpose
Accreditation ensures that the University, the Faculty of Medicine, the PGME office, as well as every residency and AFC program meets the standards as determined receive the training to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours for success in their certification examinations and excellence in the practice of their discipline in a supportive learning environment
It provides the framework for continuous improvement in all aspects of the delivery of outstanding quality and AFC programs.
Process
Monitoring and oversight of the accreditation standards for everyprogram are conducted by the PGME Accreditation Subcommittee, led by the Director of PGME Accreditation and supported by the Vice and Assistant Deans (PGME). Committee membership includes a representative from each of the Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Laboratory Medicine and Family Medicine departments, and rotating membership from other departments to ensure a diversity of perspectives. Local resident PARO representatives also sit on this committee
What Happens During an Accreditation Visit?
Physicians and surgeons from across Canada are appointed by the two Colleges to come to Ottawa to complete a full review of accreditation standards at both the program and institutional levels, to ensure that we are meeting and/or exceeding standards. These volunteers are called surveyors.
In advance of the onsite visit, PG training programs and the PGME office complete their reports in the CanAMS tool and gather appropriate documentation, 3-4 months in advance of the scheduled onsite visit. Programs and the PGME office are required to report on their activity on addressing new and the current state of previously identified areas for improvement (AFIs). Surveyors access the documents to prepare for the visit to determine what questions to ask key stakeholder groups. Surveyors meet all stakeholders, including:
At the Program level:
Learners: Residents
Program teams: Program Directors, Residency Program Committees, Competence Committees
Faculty : all teachers engaged with the program
Administrators: Program Administrators
Leadership: Division Heads, Department Chairs
At the Institution level:
University leadership:
President and Vice Chancellor; Dean of the Faculty of Medicine; Senior Vice-Dean Medical Education; Vice-Dean, PGME; Assistant Dean, PGME
PGME Committees:
PGEC, Accreditation, CBME, Evaluation & Professionalism
Hospital Leadership:
Hospital liaisons; Department Chairs; Program Directors; Vice-Chairs Education
Administrative Teams:
PGME Office; Program Administrators
Surveyors cite specific standards in their report., A summary report is provided the day after the site visit is completed, followed by an official report from the respective Colleges within a few months. Areas for improvement identified are expected to be addressed throughout the ensuing 8-year accreditation survey cycle.
What to Expect During an Accreditation Visit
The PGME Accreditation Director and the PGME office Accreditation Coordinator will work closely with the Colleges to structure the timing of visits in the programs. This will be communicated to programs by the PGME office.
Program Administrators will complete a templated schedule indicating when and where it will take place on the review day with the survey team
You must meet with the reviewers of your program – please be on time to attend the meeting at the scheduled time and make sure to keep your answers clear and concise, to allow time for questions and fruitful discussion. Trainees MUST be released from clinical duties to attend accreditation meetings with the survey team. Trainees who are not required to attend accreditation meetings include those on vacation, other approved leave or those unable to attend due to illness.
Meetings will be held in the strictest of confidence, without any other stakeholder group present. In the final report, concerns and issues raised will remain completely anonymous. However, all information gathered during the review process must be done openly within the assigned groups during their scheduled meetings. No private communication can occur with the survey team outside the scheduled meeting time.