AFMC releases report on the future of medical education in Canada

On January 28th, 2010, the Association of Faculties of Medicine released its report titled: The Future of Medical Education in Canada (FMEC): A Collective Vision for MD Education.

2010 marks the hundred-year anniversary of the Flexner Report - a study of medical education in the United States and Canada. Since that time, there have been countless changes in medical practice, Canada's healthcare system and population, and the availability of medical and pedagogical technologies. Yet there has been no comprehensive study of the Canadian system of medical education in 100 years. Until now.

The report is the culmination of a 30-month project funded by Health Canada which examines medical education in the country. The report contains ten recommendations and 5 enabling recommendations which, once implemented across the country, will fundamentally strengthen medical education in Canada and ultimately, the health status of all Canadians.

"Strengthening the future of medical education is important to everyone," said Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul, Manitoba.

"I have no doubt that this report will ensure that physicians are well equipped to meet the changing health needs of Canadians," said the MP, who represented the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, at the launch of the report.

"This is a watershed moment for medical education in Canada. The recommendations contained in this report are forward-thinking, ambitious, and broad-based; their implementation on a national scale will have a definite impact on how physicians are trained and how care is delivered in this country," said Dr. Nick Busing, President and CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. "We look forward to working closely with our members as they implement these recommendations and embark on this exciting transformation."

"The recommendations contained in this report will fundamentally strengthen medical education in Canada. Moreover, the report has received the unanimous approval of our faculties of medicine. For the first time in a hundred years, our system of medical education has been examined through multiple lenses, and what has emerged is a series of recommendations that are consensus-based and firmly grounded in the evidence," said Dr. James Rourke, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Chair of the Board of Directors of AFMC.