Establishing standards and measurement methods for medical education

This paper focuses largely on describing the accreditation system recently instituted for medical schools in Australia. Features of the system include evaluation of medical schools in terms of their own objectives and emphasis on the accreditation process as a consultation rather than an inspection. Steps in the accreditation process are as follows: briefing of the medical school, the school's preparation of a database on itself, a five-day assessment visit by a team of senior academics, immediate oral presentation of a preliminary report to the medical school, preparation of a written report, and awarding of accreditation for up to ten years. The paper also briefly describes the Community Based Education and Service (COBES) program, in which medical students at the University of Ilorin (in Nigeria) live, study, and work in villages for one month per year. The paper ends by noting the need to balance, on the one hand, defining and assessing those aspects of medical education important anywhere in the world and, on the other hand, addressing local context and relevance.