Meet to focus on standards of medical education

Meeting global standards in medical education will be the focus of the third GCC Conference of Faculties of Medicine to be hosted by Sultan Qaboos University from December 16-18 at the College of Medicine.

The theme of the three-day conference is 'Standard of Medical Education in the Era of Globalisation.'

Medical Education is a rapidly growing field and ongoing developments have increased the importance of constantly updating our knowledge and practice.

"This gathering of experts and other participants unites past, current and future educational developments and research, and guarantees an outstanding forum for discussion and exchange of ideas and applications," a university spokesman said.

The objectives of the conference include the development of common criteria for accreditation of GCC medical schools, comparative assessment of medical curricula both within the GCC and against international standards, evaluation of current assessment of student performance and criteria for graduation.

Besides the keynote addresses, to be delivered by eminent speakers, there will be a platform for free communications and poster presentations.

In addition, several workshops covering various fields of medical education will be held.

The delegates will compare curricula in GCC medical schools with one another and with global standards. "This conference would give everyone a chance to evaluate assessment tools and graduation criteria at their respective universities.

"This would be an ideal opportunity to improve faculty development programmes and sharing available resources," the spokesman added.

While emphasis would be on the role of medical informatics in medical education, student development would be enhanced by exchanging ideas during the conference.

The delegates would encourage collaborative research in medical education and setting up of special interest groups. Common accreditation criteria for the GCC will be underlined during the conference.