Lauch of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy programs international accreditation

Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova has initiated the process of international accreditation of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy programs according to the standards of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). Its application was accepted by the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) of Kazakhstan, which accredited the university institutionally in 2019, being authorized by WFME. At this stage, the faculties are drawing up self-assessment reports for each program in accordance with WFME standards.

The First Vice-Rector Olga Cernețchi, vice-rector for didactic activity, mentioned, in a meeting with the deans and vice-deans of university faculties, that this desideratum resulted from the University’s Strategic Development Plan for the years 2020-2030. "First of all, international accreditation is a criterion for the quality of education. At the same time, this will constitute an advantage for international students who will return to their home countries after graduation, giving a higher grade for credibility and, respectively, it will be possible to attract new students," stressed the professor.

It should be mentioned that, in 2018, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy study programs were accredited by the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC), while Optometry, Nursing and Radiologic Technology programs obtained temporary authorization. Also, in 2019, the Faculty of Dentistry was fully accredited by the Dental Board of California, the USA, which allowed the admission to studies of American citizens.

According to the First Vice-Rector, every 5 years study programs should be re-accredited by ANACEC, respectively, the international accreditation of programs representing an advantage as it means automatic recognition at national level. "Thus, we intend to carry out the procedure for international certification and accreditation of programs by 2023," specified the First Vice-Rector.

Silvia Stratulat, Head of the Teaching and Academic Management Department, noted that the purpose of accreditation was to establish whether the curricula of Nicolae Testemitanu University corresponded to the quality level recommended by the World Federation for Medical Education. Based on Rector's Order No. 317-A of 03.12.2021, working groups have been set up at the University for the development and verification of self-assessment reports with a view to conducting international accreditation of study programs. The contents and structure of evaluation reports include 9 standards, indicating the strengths and weaknesses, as well as improvement measures. The reports shall be developed in Russian and translated into English. The reports per study program shall be drawn up by March 3, 2022, after which the verification commissions will examine them, presenting their conclusions within 10 days from the date of receipt.

After submitting the self-assessment reports per program to the accreditation institution, the University will be visited by an IAAR evaluation committee, which should then make the final decision. The procedure stipulates that a monitoring period by IAAR will follow upon the issuance of an accreditation certificate. An action plan shall be implemented according to commission’s recommendations in the first year, and the plan execution results shall be reported in the next year.