Accreditation of medical education in Vietnam: From local to global excellence

Abstract

Medical education in Vietnam is going through a period of transformation. The number of medical schools is growing with increased enrollment of the students to meet the workforce needs of the country. Simultaneously, there is a need to ensure the quality of medical graduates and that there are mechanisms in place through relevant regulatory bodies. As part of general framework, accreditation of higher education institutions is already a requirement in Vietnam with individual programs and disciplines to be accredited by the professional organizations within Vietnam or externally where appropriate. However, accreditation of medical education programs is not established as a separate entity. No medical education program in Vietnam has undergone an external evaluation but there are ongoing discussions at various forums to initiate an independent process for medical education programs. There is a consensus among stakeholders that the accreditation of medical education programs will have a potential to drive quality improvement. In this paper, we present a brief overview of the trajectory of accreditation process in Vietnam with recommendations to move forward. The journey ahead will require a coordinated approach from all stakeholders to build an accreditation system, which ensures that quality healthcare, is offered by the workforce in Vietnam.