The World Directory of Medical Schools is a public database of institutions that provide
medical education
Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., Re ...
. There are over 3,600
medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
s listed in the directory. The directory is published as a collaboration of the
World Federation for Medical Education World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) is a non-governmental organisation concerned with education and training of medical doctors worldwide. WFME’s main objective is to "enhance the quality of medical education worldwide, with promotion of ...
(WFME) and the
(FAIMER).
Database
For the database, a "medical school" is defined as an ''"educational institution that provides a complete or full program of instruction leading to basic medical qualification; that is, a qualification that permits the holder to obtain a license to practice as a medical doctor or physician''". As of 2022, the database has records for more than 3,600 medical schools that are operational and more than 190 that have ceased to be operational.
It was created by merging WMFE's
AVICENNA Directory for Medicine with FAIMER's
International Medical Education Directory The International Medical Education Directory (IMED) was a public database of worldwide medical schools. The IMED was published as a joint collaboration of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the Foundation for Advan ...
(IMED) to produce a single comprehensive resource, including the schools in each of the prior directories.
History
The
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO) originally published the World Directory of Medical Schools from 1953 to 2007 before transferring responsibility to the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) which renamed it the AVICENNA Directory for Medicine. A separate International Medical Education Directory (IMED) had been published by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) since 2002. In March 2012, the
AVICENNA
Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic G ...
and
IMED The International Medical Education Directory (IMED) was a public database of worldwide medical schools. The IMED was published as a joint collaboration of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the Foundation for Advan ...
directories agreed to merge into a single comprehensive directory. The new World Directory of Medical Schools officially launched in April 2014 managed by both WMFE and FAIMER. The Avicenna and IMED directories were subsequently discontinued.
Sponsors
The major sponsors are the
Australian Medical Council
The Australian Medical Council (AMC) is an independent national standards and assessment body for medical education and training. It was established in 1985.
Purpose
The purpose of the AMC is:
:"To ensure that standards of education, training a ...
,
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates According to the US Department of Education, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates is "the authorized credential evaluation and guidance agency for non-U.S. physicians and graduates of non-U.S. medical schools who seek to practice ...
, and the
Medical Council of Canada
The Medical Council of Canada (MCC; french: Conseil médical du Canada, CMC) is an organization charged with the partial assessment and evaluation of medical graduates and physicians through standardized examination. It grants the qualification c ...
.
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.wdoms.org
WFME websiteFAIMER website
Organizations established in 2014
Medical databases
Medical education
International medical and health organizations