Abstract
The accreditation process is both an opportunity and a burden for medical schools in Korea. The line that separates the two is based on how medical schools recognize and utilize the accreditation process. In other words, accreditation is a burden for medical schools if they view the accreditation process as merely a formal procedure or a means to maintain accreditation status for medical education. However, if medical schools acknowledge the positive value of the accreditation process, accreditation can be both an opportunity and a tool for developing medical education. The accreditation process has educational value by catalyzing improvements in the quality, equity, and efficiency of medical education and by increasing the available options. For the accreditation process to contribute to medical education development, accrediting agencies and medical schools must first be recognized as partners of an educational alliance working together towards common goals. Secondly, clear guidelines on accreditation standards should be periodically reviewed and shared. Finally, a formative self-evaluation process must be introduced for institutions to utilize the accreditation process as an opportunity to develop medical education. This evaluation system could be developed through collaboration among medical schools, academic societies for medical education, and the accrediting authority.
Highlights
Background/rationale The administrative burden faced by medical schools in Korea has increased as evaluations of medical schools have evolved into an accreditation process
Accreditation is an excellent opportunity since it serves as a “gold standard” for improving the quality of medical education [1]
This review aims to help medical schools to take full advantage of the accreditation process as an educational development opportunity
Summary
Background/rationale The administrative burden faced by medical schools in Korea has increased as evaluations of medical schools have evolved into an accreditation process. Many studies have cited accreditation as an opportunity to reform the curriculum and strengthen educational programs [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Medical schools (as medical education providers) and accreditation agencies (as evaluators and feedback providers) form an “educational alliance.”. This concept originated from psychotherapy, where patients and therapists form a therapeutic alliance [15]. Medical schools can make more real changes if they think of accreditation as an opportunity to implement innovations or as a tool for reorganizing the curriculum
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