FAQ

GMDC Accreditation is a review process and status of quality within higher educational medical institutions and programmes in Grenada. It evaluates and ascertains the presence and level of quality within a medical educational institution or programme, through a comprehensive review process. To evaluate this quality, GMDC focuses on the institutional settings, curriculum, students, academic environment, faculty and institutional effectiveness. This quality control process occurs every 5-8 years.

Being GMDC accredited means that a higher educational institution and programme in Grenada has been assessed and evaluated by GMDC, who validated their credibility against pre-established standards.

• GMDC Accreditation assures the public, applicant and students, employers, government agencies, regulatory bodies and professional groups that a medical educational program, leading to an MD degree or related qualification, meets accepted standards of quality for educational process and student outcomes.
• GMDC Accreditation encourages medical education programmes to bolster their internal quality assurance mechanisms and to review their own operations (self-study) for continuous improvement in quality and accountability.
• Accreditation affords the opportunity for an independent agency, such as GMDC to provide guidance to new and current educational institutions and programmes, based on noted trends in quality assurance.
• As per the Health Practitioners Act 2010, and the Health Practitioners Amendment Act 2019, a medical doctor degree programme must be accredited by GMDC in order to legally operate in the State of Grenada.

Accreditation standards are the criteria GMDC uses to assess critical aspects of acceptable quality of medical educational programmes.

GMDC has established six accreditation themes to determine whether a medical education programme leading to a medical degree is eligible to be accredited. Theme 1: Institutional Setting; Theme 2: Curriculum; Theme 3: Students, Theme 4: Academic environment; Theme 5: Faculty; and Theme 6: Institutional Effectiveness. The standards of accreditation are organized under these six broad themes. For more information see Accreditation standardsdocuments.

The Health Practitioners Act (“the Act”), enacted in 2010, established the Grenada Medical and Dental Council (“GMDC” or “the Governing Body”) as the entity responsible to oversee and “confer with educational institutions with respect to the education of persons in the practice of the medical or dental profession” and “to promote high standards in the practice of medicine and dentistry” in Grenada. The Minister of Health and Minister of Education took action to authorise GMDC to accredit professional medical schools located in Grenada. The Health Practitioners (Amendment) Act of 2019 (“Amendment Act”) formally gives GMDC authority to review and accredit medical doctor degree programmes in Grenada. The Amendment Act took effect on December 5, 2019 and was Gazetted on December 16, 2019.

GMDC reviews and accredits medical schools/education institution and programmes operating in Grenada. Currently, St. George’s University School of Medicine (SGUSOM) medical education programme is accredited by GMDC.

No, presently, GMDC has the mandate to accredit only medical doctor degree programmes in Grenada.

No, the Health Practitioners (Amendment) Act of 2019 (“Amendment Act”) formally gives GMDC authority to solely review and accredit medical doctor degree programmes in Grenada.

A school applying for initial accreditation will be granted an accreditation period of five (5) years and eight (8) years every subsequent full review, once they are met the expectations and standards. In the event of extenuating circumstances, such as a natural disaster or a pandemic, the accreditation period may be extended for up to two (2) years.

The amount of time it will take a school to earn accreditation depends largely on how long the medical school takes to submit application and other related documents requested by GDMC. On average, we observe that schools take about three years to earn GMDC ‘s Accreditation.

GMDC is recognized by the Government of Grenada, the U.S. Department of Education through the NCFMEA, and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) as the authority for the accreditation of medical education programs leading to a medical doctor degree.

WFME recognition means that GMDC’s standards are at an internationally accepted level and the quality of GMDC’s accreditation process of medical schools is at an appropriate level. WFME recognition also means that physicians graduating from a GMDC-accredited medical school can practice medicine in the US.

Yes, WFME recognition of GMDC means that physicians graduating from a GMDC-accredited medical school can practice medicine in the US and Canada.

Yes, GMDC has met the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) accreditation eligibility requirements by having WFME recognition status. Therefore, graduates from GMDC-accredited Medical school can write the USMLE.

Yes, GMDC is recognized by WFME. Hence, graduates from GMDC accredited medical programmes are eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

A complaint can be filed using GMDC’s website: https://gmdc.gd

You are required to provide a written statement outlining your concerns and how those concerns indicate possible noncompliance with one or more of the GMDC Accreditation Standards. Describe how the complainant has attempted to resolve the matter using the medical school’s stated complaint or grievance procedures, and provide your name and contact (email, mailing address, and telephone number).