Applying North American medical education accreditation standards internationally in the United Arab Emirates

Figures & data

Table 1. Medical schools in the United Arab Emirates in 2021

Medical Education Programs by Emirate	Established	Degree	Duration	QFEmirates Level
Abu Dhabi
Khalifa University	2019	MD	4 Years	9
United Arab Emirates University	1986/2012	MBBS/MD	6 Years	7
Ajman
Ajman University	2018	MBBS	6 years	7
Gulf Medical University	1998	MBBS	6 Years	7
Dubai
Dubai Medical College for Girls	1986	MBBS	6 Years	7
Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences	2016	MBBS	6 Years	7
Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University	2006	MBBS	6 Years	7
Sharjah
University of Sharjah	2004	MBBS	6 Years	7

MD indicates Doctor of Medicine; MBBS, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery; QFEmirates is UAE’s National Qualifications Framework for levels of higher education degrees.

Sources: Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) [12]; World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) [13].

Table 2. PESTLE analysis: legal forces impacting applicability of LCME elements in the UAE

LCME Element	LCME Requirement	Caveat
1.6 Eligibility Requirements	Parent institution accredited by a USA regional accrediting body	Parent institution accredited by a UAE national accrediting body
5.12 Required Notifications to the LCME	Substantial changes impacting resources must be reported in advance to LCME	Substantial changes impacting resources must be reported in advance to CAA
8.4 Evaluation of Educational Program Outcomes	Reported outcome measures include results from USA residency match program, licensing examinations, and national student survey	Reported outcome measures include results from UAE residency match program, licensing examinations; national student survey to be developed

Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA). Commission for Academic Accreditation: accredited programs. Abu Dhabi: United Arab Emirates: Ministry of Education; 2021 [cited 2021 Dec 5]. Available from: https://www.caa.ae/Pages/Programs/All.aspx

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World Federation for Medical Education. World Directory of Medical Schools. World Federation for Medical Education, 2021 [cited 2021 Dec 5]. Available from: https://search.wdoms.org

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