OTTAWA — Canadian medical associations are marking the first school year for a new accreditation system for medical schools that is fully separate from the United States.
A news release from the Canadian Medical Association says that, as of July, medical schools in the country are no longer jointly accredited by Canadian and American bodies.
It says leaders at the CMA and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada are “relieved” and that medical schools are now assessed “solely according to Canadian standards.”
The release says the U.S. government’s move to make it illegal to include equity, diversity and inclusion requirements in the accreditation process at American medical schools means the AFMC and CMA have “an enhanced duty to protect EDI principles.”
Dr. Constance LeBlanc, president and CEO of the AFMC, says that while sharing medical school standards with the U.S. has worked well in the past, “it is timely to set our own course.”
There has been a gradual push to separate Canadian medical school accreditation from the U.S. for years and the decision to pursue a full “decoupling” was made in 2021, the CMA says.
