The Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) was founded in 1979 by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), formerly, the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges (ACMC) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to act as the reliable authority for the accreditation of programs of medical education leading to the MD degree in Canada. Canadian medical education programs were accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) since 1942 and from 1979 until the present, Canadian schools have been accredited by both the CACMS and the LCME using a joint process. In 2013, the sponsors of CACMS (AFMC and CMA) and the sponsors of the LCME (The Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further codify the relationship between CACMS and the LCME. This agreement provides more independence in decision-making, standard-setting and modification of the accreditation process to CACMS to help align Canadian education programs to respond to their social accountability.
Scope of CACMS Responsibility
The CACMS accredits complete and independent medical schools whose students are geographically located in Canada for their education, and which are offered by universities that are chartered and operated in Canada.
Important announcement
The accrediting bodies for medical educational programs in the United States and Canada and their sponsors have recently decided that the joint Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) / Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) accreditation process for Canadian medical schools put into place eight years ago will conclude in September 2021.
At its June 2021 meeting, “the LCME voted that LCME accreditation of Canadian medical schools will cease on June 30, 2025”.
