Schulich medical graduates ranked best in Canada

Monday, January 17, 2011

The 2010 graduating class from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario achieved the highest ranking of all medical schools in the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE). Medical graduates must pass the exam as one of the requirements to become practicing doctors. The results were for first-time takers who graduated in the same year the exam was taken (Spring 2010).


Along with having the highest overall score, Schulich's 139 medical graduates averaged the highest marks in several sections of the exam including: Family Medicine, Paediatrics, Population Health, and Consideration of the Legal, Ethical and Organizational Aspects of the Practice of Medicine. They scored second in the country in Medicine and Surgery, and were above the mean in all sections.


"We have excellent students to begin with; that's part of the recruitment program. But every medical student is excellent. What this really reflects is the absolute dedication of our faculty and program coordinators," commented Dr. Michael Strong, Dean of Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. "Being ranked number one is incredibly important. Students looking at the success rates will want to come here, whether they're starting their medical training, or as a graduate student looking for a school with a strong medical sciences program."

"This is particularly gratifying as we've gone through a major realignment in the way we teach medicine, and the Class of 2010 was the first to graduate using the new curriculum. The results validate both the change, and the commitment of our teachers to the new curriculum," says Dr. Maggie Rebel, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education.


Medical schools are only told how they performed, with the names of the other schools in the ranking kept confidential by the Medical Council of Canada.