UPMS: Accreditation by the World Federation for Medical Education

The University of Pécs Medical School (UP MS) has been accredited according to the criteria of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), further strengthening the international value of the degree of the University of Pécs Medical School.

As stated on the WFME website, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) has decided that from 2024, only a degree from a foreign institution that has met the criteria of the accreditation process adopted by the organisation will be allowed to be naturalised in the United States.

To ensure that Hungarian medical schools can meet this requirement, the Hungarian Accreditation Committee for Higher Education (MAB) has undertaken to obtain the World Federation for Medical Education licence in order to strengthen the international competitiveness and recognition of Hungarian medical education. With this accreditation, the MAB will carry out the assessment of Hungarian medical education institutions according to the WFME standards and will be entitled to grant WFME accreditation.

The complex analysis of medical education in Pécs

In September 2021, the Visiting Committee of the Hungarian Accreditation Board for Higher Education (MAB LB) visited the University of Pécs Medical School and conducted the pilot procedure necessary for the accreditation. The report examined the medical school of Pécs on the basis of a set of criteria, including training programmes, the student support system, the performance of instructors, the training and development of instructors, but also the educational infrastructure, the conditions of clinical training and quality assurance.

They also highlighted the complex strategic plan (PotePillars) of the Medical School in Pécs: the Learning Culture concept, the Well Being concept, the Infrastructure concept and the Science and the Innovation concept. The first pillar, the Learning Culture concept was found to focus on more than just teaching methods: it links areas in a complex way, with an emphasis on developing organisational culture, fostering engagement, building motivation systems, and improving teaching and pedagogical methods. They praised the PotePedia, a multilingual curriculum system and digital knowledge base of the medical school of Pécs, noting that the system supports the development of pedagogical methods. The MAB Visiting Committee also found that the faculty leadership is committed to high quality teaching, research and patient care, as well as to the pursuit of excellence and the appreciation and development of human resources.

WFME licence for the Medical School in Pécs until 2030

Based on the faculty self-assessment and the on-site visit, the MAB LB decided that

the general medical education of the University of Pécs Medical School can be accredited for 8 years according to the WFME 2020 standards,

with a mid-term monitoring procedure including a personal visit. According to the information of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee from the beginning of July, the supporting decision entered into force on the day of the MAB WFME accreditation, 8 March 2022. Accordingly, the WFME accreditation of the general medicine training of University of Pécs Medical School will be valid from spring this year until 3 March 2030. In other words, those who choose the Medical School in Pécs as their alma mater can continue to build a career overseas with the knowledge and qualifications they have acquired here, after successfully completing their general medical degree.

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