Medical school accreditation in China: a Sino-Australian collaboration

In 2008, China established a medical school accreditation process based on international standards and guidelines. Twenty schools had been accredited by 2013 and it is intended to accredit all 137 schools by 2020. To achieve this ambitious aim, Chinese medical educators have entered into collaboration with their Australian counterparts, engendered by mutual membership of the Association for Medical Education in the Western Pacific Region, a regional division of the World Federation for Medical Education. The collaboration began in 2000 as informal discussions at regional meetings and has since developed three major components: workshops held throughout China for potential assessors and for medical schools undergoing accreditation; visits by Chinese accreditors to Australia to observe Australian Medical Council processes; and participation by Australian assessors in the accreditation of Chinese medical schools. The incremental steps that led to this unique bi-national venture are outlined in the context of other international developments in accreditation of medical education. Then, the preparation, piloting and implementation of accreditation standards and guidelines with Chinese specifications are described. Finally, the outcomes achieved thus far and the challenges remaining are discussed.