Why does Prince Edward Island need a medical school?
How is the joint medical degree being developed?
Does UPEI have the academic expertise and experience to establish a Faculty of Medicine?
How long will it take to establish a medical school?
What programs will be offered?
Why is it a joint UPEI-Memorial doctor of medicine degree?
What is accreditation?
Why is accreditation important?
How many students will be accepted into the first class of medical students at UPEI?
How will students apply, and when, to the University of Prince Edward Island’s Doctor of Medicine program?
How will undergraduate and postgraduate learners be supported with clinical and residency opportunities?
How and where will the curriculum be delivered?
How can I get involved in the development of the UPEI Faculty of Medicine?

Why does the University of Prince Edward Island need a medical school?

Throughout all of Canada, including Prince Edward Island, there is a challenge to recruit and retain physicians in rural and underserved areas.

A Doctor of Medicine program provides an opportunity for students from PEI to learn and gain medical teaching and experiences in their home province. Research shows that medical training experiences play a role in recruitment and retention. A Faculty of Medicine on PEI will fulfil the medical career aspirations of many Island students, here at home.

In addition, a new medical school, along with the expansion of the Faculty of Nursing and the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre clinic, aligns with the strategic direction of the Government of Prince Edward Island’s work in establishing collaborative health care centres in Island communities. The Faculty of Medicine’s clinic will meet the health care needs of Islanders by helping to reduce the waitlist for family doctors and relieving the pressure on Island walk-in clinics, emergency rooms, outpatient departments, and thus physicians.

How is the joint medical degree being developed?

The co-degree will be housed in a new UPEI Faculty of Medicine, and we have made significant progress in establishing a structure for the development of both.

Oversight is provided by a Steering Committee, co-chaired by Dr. Dolores McKeen, Dean of Medicine at Memorial, and Dr. Wendy Rodgers, President and Vice-Chancellor at UPEI, which is made up of representatives from Memorial, UPEI, and the PEI medical community.

Consultations and community engagement are core components of the planning and development process for the UPEI Faculty of Medicine. Since the joint Doctor of Medicine was announced, we have planning committees featuring a broad cross-section of community members.

Does UPEI have the academic expertise and experience to establish a Faculty of Medicine?

UPEI’s track record in developing future-focused programming and conducting important research places the university in a prime position to take the idea of a Faculty of Medicine and move it from dream to reality. Despite UPEI’s experience in innovative academic programming, we have chosen to partner with Memorial University’s well-established and award-winning Faculty of Medicine to immediately access quality curriculum and rich expertise.

A new Faculty of Medicine at UPEI will build on this foundation of excellence and leadership in post-secondary education.

How long will it take to establish a medical school?

Our first intake of students will be for August 2025, as a regional campus of Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine. Before becoming a fully joint program, the joint UPEI-Memorial Doctor of Medicine needs to be accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and approved by the Atlantic Advisory Committee on Health Human Resources (AACHHR) and the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC).

Establishing the UPEI Faculty of Medicine involves adopting a governance structure, adapting/developing curriculum, establishing appropriate teaching and learning environments and experiential opportunities, and ensuring time is allowed for collaboration and engagement with physicians, medical professionals, and other stakeholders.

What programs will be offered?

While we are developing the joint UPEI-Memorial program, we are hosting a regional campus of Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine. Learners graduating will receive a degree from Memorial University. After the launch of the joint program, learners will graduate with a joint degree from UPEI and Memorial.”

Why is it a joint UPEI-Memorial Doctor of Medicine degree?

While UPEI has a tremendous track record in developing future-focused programming and conducting important research, working with Memorial University on the development of this joint degree will allow us to offer a unique offering. This partnership will also provide UPEI immediate access to Memorial’s successful curriculum informed by more than 50 years of experience in generalist training, rural medicine, and Indigenous health.

Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine has received national recognition for its focus on fostering rural education and experiences, resulting in an increasing number of physicians practicing in rural family medicine. In 2020, the Memorial Faculty of Medicine won the Society of Rural Physicians Canada (SRPC) Rural Medical Education award for the third time as the medical school which excelled in producing graduates headed for a career in rural medicine. In 2023, the Memorial Faculty of Medicine was awarded—for the tenth time in the past 20 years—the SRPC Keith Award for excelling in producing family doctors who practice in rural areas ten years after graduation.

A new Faculty of Medicine at UPEI will build on both UPEI and Memorial’s foundation of excellence and leadership in post-secondary education.

What is accreditation?

Accreditation of undergraduate physician training is used to demonstrate that our undergraduate medical program meets accepted standards for educational quality. In Canada, a school receives accreditation from the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS). The process of accreditation ensures a medical school is delivering high quality, dynamic and innovative academic programming to our learners while enabling our faculty to be exceptional teachers.

UPEI must also receive approval from the Atlantic Advisory Committee on Health Human Resources (AACHHR) and the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), which oversee quality assurance in the region.

Why is accreditation important?

CACMS accreditation provides assurances to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, health-care institutions, health authorities, regulatory authorities and the public that:

• Educational programs culminating in the award of the MD degree meet reasonable, generally-accepted, and appropriate national standards for educational quality and;
• Graduates of such programs have a complete and valid educational experience sufficient to prepare them for the next stage of their training.

The program’s quality will also be assured by the Atlantic Advisory Committee on Health Human Resources (AACHHR) and the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), which oversee quality assurance in the region.

How many students will be accepted into the first class of medical students at UPEI?

There will be 20 seats, with at least one reserved for an Indigenous student.

How will students apply, and when, to the University of Prince Edward Island’s Doctor of Medicine program?

Applicants interested in applying to the Memorial University Faculty of Medicine, regional campus at UPEI must complete the online application on the Memorial University admissions page and apply to the Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) Pool. The application system will be open from Wednesday, June 26, 2024, to Wednesday, August 28, 2024, inclusive. Applications can only be submitted within this time frame.

How will undergraduate and postgraduate learners be supported with clinical and residency opportunities?

UPEI and Memorial are working with PEI physicians, Health PEI, and other stakeholders on the important issue of developing clinical opportunities for undergraduate students. The expanded UPEI Health and Wellness Centre clinic is one such opportunity.

The joint UPEI-Memorial medical degree program will aim to have 1.1 residency spots to 1 graduating undergraduate medical student. As with other programs in Canada, graduates of the UPEI-Memorial joint Doctor of Medicine degree program can match to residency training opportunities across Canada through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), a national, independent, not-for-profit, fee-for-service organization that provides a fair, objective and transparent application and matching service for medical training throughout Canada.

UPEI’s focus will be on developing sufficient regional capacity for residency placements among the medical programs in Atlantic Canada. We will also look at the issues pertaining to postgraduate education, including capacity, the needs of PEI, and government funding.

How and where will the curriculum be delivered?

The plan is to deliver UPEI Faculty of Medicine curricula primarily through in-person classes on PEI augmented by remote/virtual learning from Memorial.

How can I get involved in the development of the UPEI Faculty of Medicine?

Planning for the UPEI Faculty of Medicine will be a multi-year journey with many opportunities to listen and learn. We thank our community for your participation so far, but we still need more input.

Visit the Community Engagement page for more information.

We value input and welcome comments and feedback, which can be directed to medicine@upei.ca.