Initiation of the procedure for international institutional re-accreditation of ”Nicolae Testemitanu” University

”Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy will initiate the international institutional re-accreditation procedure based on the standards of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). First vice-rector Olga Cernetchi, vice-rector for didactic activity and academic management, announced this at the Senate meeting on December 5, 2024.

"The purpose of the international institutional accreditation is to appreciate and recognize the high-quality activity of the higher education institution and the realization of the study programs, at all levels, in accordance with the international accreditation standards for improving the quality of medical training", reiterated the first vice-rector Olga Cernetchi.

In this regard, Rector's Order no. 362-A of 19.11.2024 On the initiation of the international institutional re-accreditation procedure was issued and working groups were formed to prepare the Self-Assessment Report. The vice-rector informed the senators that the University received a guide from the external expert commission of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) in Kazakhstan, which includes the standards established by WFME. Thus, the Self-Assessment Report will have the following structure: Mission and values, Educational program, Student evaluation, Students, academic staff/teaching staff, Educational resources, Quality assurance policy, Management and administration, Continuous updating.

According to the first vice-rector, the re-accreditation process will end with the visit of the IAAR's Commission of Experts, which will evaluate, in principle, several aspects - the existence in the institution of the necessary resources for the organization and realization of the study programs and the compliant documentation of the activities, the correspondence of the information presented in the Self-Assessment Report with the reality in the University and the presentation of the appropriate evidence, as well as the university community's knowledge of the legal provisions regarding the educational activities carried out and the interaction with the beneficiaries of studies.

"It is important that every teacher and student participate in the re-accreditation procedure in order to be able to pass it. Respectively, working meetings will be organized at the level of administration, subdivisions, student groups, etc.", stressed the first vice-rector Olga Cernetchi. 

IAAR holds the accreditation expertise according to WFME standards, the respective agency being selected on the recommendation of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC).

Nicolae Testemitanu University obtained the status of an internationally accredited institution according to WFME standards, for a period of 5 years, in June 2019. In 2022, the integrated study programs Medicine, Pharmacy and Stomatology were also internationally accredited (certificates of international accreditation valid until 2026).

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) has stated that, from 2024, "physicians applying for ECFMG certification will be required to graduate from an appropriately accredited higher medical institution... The higher medical school must be accredited through a formal process that applies criteria comparable to those established for medical education and accepted globally, such as those approved by the WFME".

It should be mentioned that, on May 21, 2019, Nicolae Testemitanu University was designated by ANACEC as "Quality Promoter - Crystal of Quality" and was mentioned with a Diploma of Gratitude, as a sign of high appreciation for the promotion of the culture of quality and excellent results obtained in the process of external evaluation of undergraduate higher education programs in the field of Health.