FAIMER 2003 Annual Report: International Medical Education Directory

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Tracking Medical Education

Exhibits

IMED Subscription Service

In October 2003, FAIMER introduced the IMED Subscription Service. For an annual fee, subscribers can download the entire IMED database. Access to the database is unlimited during the subscription period. This service provides more comprehensive access to the database for organizations involved in large-scale credentialing and research.

More information is available on the FAIMER website.

Survey of Ministries of Health and Education

In August 2003, FAIMER began the process of surveying international ministries of health, ministries of education, and medical councils, the agencies typically responsible for the recognition of medical schools. The survey, which was sent to 213 agencies in 171 countries, asked respondents to report on medical school admission requirements, accreditation, and medical licensure in their countries.

The results of this survey are important for the ongoing validation of the recognized medical schools listed in IMED. The survey is also expected to provide information on national systems for evaluating and accrediting medical schools. This information will be used to design additional instruments for the collection of data on international accreditation bodies, including the standards used to approve medical programs and criteria employed to certify and license physicians, which may lead to development of a FAIMER database of international accrediting agencies.

International Medical Education Directory

The International Medical Education Directory (IMED) is a web-based resource on the world's medical schools that is freely available on the FAIMER website. The information available in IMED for each listed medical school includes the school's current name and university affiliation, previous names (where applicable), and contact information. IMED also offers information about the medical school curriculum, including but not limited to, duration of curriculum, title of the medical degree awarded, the language of instruction, the year instruction began, and the years for which the school has been recognized by the appropriate government agency.

The information in IMED was gathered initially from the extensive current and historical data in ECFMG's medical education credentials reference library. Since the introduction of IMED in 2002, the information available in IMED has been expanded and updated through contact with medical school and government officials worldwide. As the results of FAIMER's 2003 survey of international ministries of health and education are received, the IMED listing for each country will be expanded to include contact information for the ministry of health, ministry of education, medical licensing authority, and/or national accrediting agency, as applicable.

The development of IMED is guided by the IMED Advisory Board, an international panel of experts representing the fields of medical education and licensure. The first meeting of the IMED Advisory Board took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March 2003.

Currently, there are more than 1,800 medical schools listed in IMED, including more than twenty schools added in 2003. Before a medical school is listed in IMED, the ministry of health or other appropriate authority in the country where the school is located must provide FAIMER with confirmation that the medical school is recognized by the government of the country for award of the Doctor of Medicine (or equivalent) degree and the date on which this recognition was granted.

FAIMER typically requests such documentation after a student or graduate of a non-IMED listed school applies to ECFMG for examination, or after a request is made by a student or school official to have the school listed. FAIMER has also received correspondence directly from government agencies requesting that new medical schools in their countries be included in IMED.

IMED's web-based format allows continuous updates as new information is received and verified by FAIMER. The result is a valuable resource for individuals and organizations concerned with medical education and health care.

FAIMER encourages users to send questions or comments concerning IMED to:

International Medical Education Directory (IMED)
c/o FAIMER
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia PA 19104
USA
E-mail: imed@faimer.org
Fax: 215.386.9767

Click to enlarge	Left: Medical schools in each country are listed alphabetically, by the name of the medical school.
Click to enlarge	Left: Users may search for schools in a variety of ways, including by geographic region, country, name of medical school or affiliated university, and the city in which the school is located. Detailed search instructions are provided.
Click to enlarge	Left: IMED provides basic information, such as medical school name, university affiliation, and contact information. It also provides curricular information, such as duration of curriculum, degree awarded, language of instruction, and the graduation years for which the school has received government recognition.

Effective April 2002, ECFMG medical education credential policy requires that, to be eligible for examination, and for ECFMG Certification, an applicant's medical school and year of graduation be listed in IMED. (More information on ECFMG and its program of certification is available in the ECFMG Information Booklet, ECFMG Annual Report, and on the ECFMG website.) To be eligible for the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) Evaluating Exam and Qualifying Exam, the MCC requires an applicant's international medical school to be listed in either IMED or the World Directory of Medical Schools, published by the World Health Organization.

FAIMER is not an accrediting agency. The medical schools listed in IMED are those that are recognized by the appropriate government agencies in the countries where the schools are located. The medical schools listed for a given country, and the information available for each school listed, are provided by these agencies and the medical schools. Listing of a medical school in IMED does not denote recognition, accreditation, or endorsement by FAIMER.

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[last update: June 29, 2006]