stethoscope on an old book of medicine

Accreditation

UGME is proud to go beyond the requirements of accreditation standards.
Get ready for the accreditation visit in the fall of 2026!

Accreditation and the excellence of our program

The University of Ottawa’s undergraduate medical education program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS). Every 8 years, MD programs must conduct a full survey of their resources, learning environment, curriculum, faculty, and student services to maintain accreditation.

Accreditation provides an essential process that ensures that medical schools meet recognized standards to provide a quality medical education program.

This process provides our Faculty with an opportunity to collectively reflect and assess the activities of our medical program. At the same time, it allows the institution to review the program’s strengths and weaknesses, and to make important recommendations to achieve its goals. This process can ultimately help the Faculty further define and revise its strategic plan and shape its direction in the short- and long-term.

Key steps of the accreditation cycle

The accreditation cycle is based on the following 7 steps:
1) Planning of the accreditation visit
2) Data collection
3) Faculty of Medicine self-study
4) Document submission
5) Onsite visit
6) Visit report
7) Decisions and actions

Preparation for the accreditation visit

Preparation for accreditation begins 24 months prior to the visit and is divided as follows:

CACMS’ secretariat

  • 18-24 months before the visit: Date of the site visit is determined.
  • 18 months before the visit: Accreditation materials and instructions are sent to the Faculty.
  • 1 year before the visit: Members of the accreditation visit teams are nominated.
  • 3 months before the visit: Information about the composition of the evaluation team and instructions for the preparation of the schedule, the conduct of the visit and the compilation of the visit report are sent.

Undergraduate medical education (UGME)

  • 18 months before the visit: The data collection instrument (DCI) is completed.
  • 18 months before the visit: The dean appoints the members of the medical school self-study steering committee and the subcommittees corresponding to specific DCI elements.
  • 3 months before the visit: The DCI and the summary of the self-study are sent to the CACMS’ secretariat and to the members of the visiting team.
Calendar

Standards and elements assessed

During the accreditation cycle data collection process, the following 12 accreditation standards and their associated elements are assessed:

  1. Mission, planning, organization and integrity
  2. Leadership and administration
  3. Academic and learning environments
  4. Faculty member preparation, productivity, participation, and policies
  5. Educational resources and infrastructure
  6. Competencies, curricular objectives and curricular design
  7. Curricular content
  8. Curricular management, evaluation, and enhancement
  9. Teaching, supervision, assessment, and student and patient safety
  10. Medical student selection, assignment, and progress
  11. Medical student academic support, career advising, and academic records
  12. Medical student health services, personal counselling, and financial aid services

Each standard receives one of the following ratings:

  • Compliance (C)
  • Compliance with a need for monitoring (CM)
  • Noncompliance (NC)

Each element receives one of the following ratings:

  • Satisfactory (S)
  • Satisfactory with a need for monitoring (SM)
  • Unsatisfactory (U)

Possible outcomes regarding accreditation status

There are 6 possible outcomes based on the evaluation of the program:

  1. Accredited for an 8-year term
  2. Accredited with indeterminate term: This decision is accompanied by a limited visit within 24 months.
  3. Accreditation with shortened term: Shortening the accreditation term takes place when sustainability of the program is questioned.
  4. Accreditation with warning: The school must create an action plan within the next 3 to 6 months after the warning is issued. A follow-up limited site visit is scheduled within 18 months.
  5. Accreditation with probation: The school must submit an action plan to the CACMS within 3 to 6 months. The school will have a post-probation site visit. A secretariat consultation visit will also be held within 3 months to help in developing the action plan.
  6. Withdrawal of accreditation: The school can correct serious problems through mechanisms of limited visits or probationary status before the CACMS withdraws its accreditation for the program. Deterioration in the educational quality of the program may also be sufficient for accreditation withdrawal.
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Current accreditation status

The University of Ottawa’s Undergraduate Medical Education Program was accredited for an 8-year term.

The U status has been assigned to the following 3 elements:

  • Financial aid/Debt management counselling/Student educational debt (12.1)

Contact information

Accreditation and Program Evaluation Office

451 Smyth Rd, room 2045
Ottawa, ONK1H 8M6
Canada
Email: [email protected]

Office hours

September 1 to May 31:
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 

June 1 to August 31:
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.