Summary:
- Background: Opening of Consultation on the WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement in Basic Medical Education 2020 Draft.
- Information summary:
- Background on the WFME Global standards for Quality Improvement and Accreditation in Medical Education.
- Background on current process on the draft revision and the importance of IFMSA involvement.
- Methodology of giving input and deadline for input – 15th June, 11:59GMT
- What Recipients Needs to do:
- Read the full email below and refer to the FAQ document for more clarification on accreditation of medical education and WFME recognition programme.
- Refer to the previous BME standards edition – 2015.
- Reflect according to your NMO experience in accreditation processes.
- Optionally provide input on the current draft edition 2020 according to the given guidelines.
- Refrain from sharing this openly as this draft version is not public & is only being circulated internally to stakeholder organisations.
- Relevant Links:
Dear NMOs
It is with great pleasure that I open the period of consultation on WFME Basic Medical Education Standards Draft Version for 2020. IFMSA has always been a strong advocate for robust quality assurance and accreditation mechanisms and meaningful student engagement in accreditation processes.
Published in 2005 and updated most recently in 2015, the WFME Global Standards for quality improvement in basic medical education offer a global medical education expert consensus on what constitutes the best practice basic and quality standards in medical education. This document does not represent the universal core curriculum but rather provides a template for medical schools and other providers of medical education, and the agencies which accredit them to define their own context sensitive, institutional, national and regional standards. They also act as a lever for quality improvement. Please refer to the FAQ document attached for more information on Accreditation of medical education, and WFME recognition programme.
As per WFME policy to update the version every 5 years, an international expert committee led by Professor Janet Grant (UK), Professor Michael Field (Australia) and Professor John Norcini (FAIMER,USA) has worked on reviewing and preparing the revised standards to be published towards the end of 2020.
IFMSA has always been a strong advocate for robust quality assurance and accreditation mechanisms and meaningful student engagement in accreditation processes. After the reiteration of the importance of student reflections in the WFME Executive Council Meeting on 13th May, WFME has officially extended an invite for the IFMSA representative on the council to input on the draft version. This is quite significant as it is the first time students are actively involved in development of standards. Understanding that several NMOs do work on accreditation, have used these standards in several instances, and acknowledging the importance of your perspectives and opinions, I would like to open a period of input on the draft version attached. Please be reminded that this document is only circulated internally at the moment and hence can not be shared freely with all members.
As you will see, the 2020 draft version differs significantly from the 2015 edition in terms of length, structuring and phrasing of the standards. In order to structure the process of input provision and ensure objective feedback, please use the following pointers when giving input;
- the clarity of each standard
- the comprehensiveness of the set of standards
- their usability and relevance
- any further information that you think should be provided.
Feel free to add your input on the comment section of the document or to email me with your reflections before the 15th of June 11:59 GMT.
This will be followed by a period of reflections & incorporation of input; and synthesis of IFMSA’s report on the WFME Global Standards on BME draft.
Finally, if you have reached this point in the email, I would like to thank you for your patient reading. Needless to say, this is a valuable opportunity to shape the standards that ensure quality assurance in medical education. I look forward to hearing your input. Please do not hesitate to email me at lme@ifmsa.org with any questions you may have.
