QI&A

QI and Accreditation

Background

The Cumming School of Medicine's (CSM) Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) is dedicated to delivering outstanding clinical training, ensuring that graduating physicians are well-equipped to deliver high-quality healthcare to the residents of Alberta.

In order to achieve this goal, it is essential that each program provides distinctive, discipline-specific educational experiences that foster the development of competencies essential for autonomous medical practice.

In light of the recent restructuring and enhancement of the Quality Improvement (QI) and Accreditation portfolio, we have an opportunity to evaluate and help improve the quality of Residency and Areas of Focused Competencies (AFC) programs in a continuous, effective, and efficient manner. 

Qi Framework

Key Priority Areas

The 2 priority areas for the QI and Accreditation portfolio are:

Accreditation

The team’s focus is to support in attaining satisfactory Accreditation levels across all programs. 

The focus areas around this priority are as follows:

  • Mock Reviews: 
    • Programs coming up for a 2-year follow up from the last review, will be assessed with the intent to offer feedback and recommendations. 
  • Internal Reviews: 
    • All programs will be assessed at mid-8-year-cycles to determine programs progress and areas for improvement. This is an opportunity to assess the institution’s readiness for the actual review.
  • External Reviews:
    • All programs will be externally reviewed every 8 years. This process will involve PGME to prepare all programs as per the requirements of the college.
  • CQI within Accreditation Process:
    • Programs on a regular review cycle, will complete self-assessments on their performance against the standards on an annual basis.
      Programs on a 2-year follow up cycle, will complete self-assessments on their performance against the standards on a quarterly basis, with focus on AFIs.
      These periodic self-assessments will be visually available on dashboards for programs to track their status and for PGME to offer support where needed. 
      Dashboards will also be available for external and internal reviews to track organization improvement over time. 

Quality Improvement

The team’s focus is to develop, implement and spread education programs on QI methodology and tools.

The focus areas around this priority are as follows:

  • QI Framework: 
    • A QI Framework is being developed to encompass PGME’s overall CQI vision (including Accreditation as QI tool).
  • QI Training: 
    • A robust QI training program is being developed to walk programs through a standardized approach to QI. This will include workshops on how to initiate a project by facilitating sessions on how to set aims and measures and plan a PDSA cycle. PGME will be utilizing the Model for Improvement and a blended learning approach.
  • Special QI projects:
    • Some centralized processes that affect PGME and all programs that require improvements will be approached with a special project, and a specific committee or group put together to address the problem as required.

Figure 1 above is a visual representation of these key priority areas. 

Portfolio Structure

Qi and Accreditation Org Chart

We appreciate your patience

The online content for this portfolio is currently under development and will be shared gradually, over time, as they are completed. This will include in-depth information about the different processes, as well as any relevant resources applicable to the portfolio. 

In the meanwhile, should you have any questions or inquiries into any of our processes and how we can support you and/or your program, please do not hesitate to reach out to: pgme.accreditation@ucalgary.ca