U of S medical programs score provisional accreditation

Three programs at Saskatchewan's only medical school have been accredited, but they did not receive full approval.

The internal medicine, pediatrics and general pathology programs at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine were reviewed by national accreditors who decided none of them will receive full approval.

Instead, the programs have been accredited with provisional approval, meaning they will be reviewed again in two years, not six years as would be the case with full approval.

"Every university, in fact, will never have all its programs on full approval. In general, 10, 15 [or] 20 per cent of the programs will always be having this provisional ruling," Anurag Saxena, the college's associate dean, told CBC News on Saturday.

"So we are not outliers here. We are within the pack, if you will."

Last year, the Committee on Accreditation of Canada Medical Schools gave the Saskatoon-based medical school a list of problems that it was to fix promptly or the school would "seriously compromise" undergraduate training.

According to the accreditation body, some professors have had a difficult time balancing teaching with treating patients.

Problems were also identified with the college's facilities in Regina.

But two of the programs — internal medicine and pediatrics — have improved enough to get an internal review next time, instead of an external one, officials say.

"I think this is a very good ruling for us," Saxena said.

The general pathology program must still be subject to an external review, but Saxena said that program has "done a tremendous amount of work."

"It's just that they should have done a little bit more just to get to that point," he said.

Saxena said he hopes all three programs will be fully approved in time for the next review in two years.