In March 2016, the communication and training for assessors of accreditation of medical education was successfully held in Jinma Hotel in Beijing. Mr. Qiming WANG, head of the Agricultural, Forest and Medical division of Department of Higher Education of Ministry of Education, attended and guided the training. Nearly 100 assessors attended this training.
At the beginning, Mr. Qiming WANG made an important speech focusing on the progress and existing problems of medical education reform and development since the “12th Five-Year Plan.” In recent years, Major breakthrough has been made in the China’s medical personnel training pattern, especially the establishment of standardized training system for residents, which has truly set up the basic strategy for training qualified doctors in China. On the basis of promoting “5+3” integration, it is necessary to keep on the 8-year education program for clinical medicine so as to cultivate fewer but high-level international talents. In the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), we should center on “Healthy China” Initiative of the top-level design of medical education, further improve the talent training, utilizing and development mechanism and strengthen the medicine-education cooperation.
About the accreditation of medical education, Mr. Qiming WANG firstly affirmed lots of works done by the Working Committee for the Accreditation of Medical Education and the Secretariat, expressing thanks to all the experts for their hard work. He pointed out that accreditation has contributed a great share in the improvement of the quality of medical education in China in recent years，and will play a more significant role in the future. Under this circumstance, either from the domestic system or from the internalization requirements perspective, it is necessary for us to promote accreditation so as to accomplish the goal of finishing the first round of accreditation by 2020 step by step. In the meantime, we also need to carry out the continuous accreditation for the universities which have been accredited. The Ministry of Education will further provide support from policy level. This time of revision of accreditation standards is in line with the development law of medical education. The new edition of standards should be further revised and formally promulgated after soliciting opinions from all sides.
Prof. Weimin WANG, deputy secretary-general of the Working Committee conducted a report on the work of the Secretariat, reviewing the accreditation work in 2015 and declaring the plan in 2016. It will be a year of difficulties and opportunities. The working priorities of the working committee include continuously promoting the accreditation of medical education, actively developing the international cooperation and completing the revision of the new edition of accreditation standard. Later on, he also introduced the 2016 edition of the “Standards for Basic Medical Education in China (Discussion Draft)” in details, emphasizing the background and significance of the revision of the standards. Also, the revision principles and process, the research basis and the main contents of the revision were elaborated. Assessors were welcome to give feedback of suggestions and opinions on the new standard.
In the discussion and communication session, the assessors were divided into four groups to fully discuss and learn from the 2016 edition of “Standards for Basic Medical Education in China (Discussion Draft)”. They unanimously thought that this edition had been greatly improved compared with the old edition. There are more clear expressions and reflections of new trend of international medical education, which had a good guiding significance for China's medical education practice. At the same time, they also made comments and suggestions on the new standards based on their own experience.
On behalf of the research team, Prof. Weimin WANG expressed his gratitude to the assessors for their comments and responded to some of their questions. He stated that the research team will further update the new edition of the standards on the basis of extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, and submit it to the working committee and the Ministry of Education for review and formal promulgation.
