University Accreditation Results(Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for university)

Iwate Medical University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Iwate, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2013
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period:April.01.2014 – March.31.2021）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Iwate Medical University
Notable Strengths
Educational content, methods, and outcome

It is commendable that the School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy atIwate Medical University (hereafter, the University) have praised instructors who
have been highly rated in the evaluations by the students as “Best Teacher” andhave made their lectures open to the public. These attempts are received favorably
by the students, as they contribute to the improvement of teaching methods.

Student support

It is commendable that the University supported students affected by the Great East
Japan Earthquake by offering tuition reduction based on the degree of damage, andthat it continues to support students with financial difficulties today.

Social cooperation and contribution

It is commendable that the University as a whole has been actively involved inreconstruction support activities. For example, based on the lessons learned fromthe Great East Japan Earthquake, the University has offered long-term medical
support to those who were affected in order to suggest a model for medical support
during a large-scale disaster. The University established the “Center for Researchand Training on Community Health Services During Disaster” that offers courses in"Disaster Medicine" and “Disaster and Community Psychiatry” in addition to its“Mental Care Center.” This education center effort intends to develop a model for
medical systems for disaster response and to foster human resources andprofessionals for disaster occasions through education. In addition, willing student
volunteers edited the Guide Book for Disaster Prevention and widely distributed it
to universities, hospitals, and local governments all over Japan.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational content, methods, and outcome


The School of Pharmacy conducts a comprehensive exam that is not listed in thecurriculum as a requirement for graduation. The exam results are used as the final
criteria for graduation. That is, the actual criteria for graduation do not match whatis written in the university regulations. This situation should be improved.

In the Graduate School of Dental Sciences, the criteria for examining
degree-seeking theses and dissertations and the criteria for early completion of theprogram have not been clarified. The criteria should be clarified to the students inadvance.

Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.04 in theSchool of Medicine and low at 0.35 in the Master’s program in the Graduate Schoolof Medical Science. This situation should be improved.

3Internal quality assurance
The internal quality assurance systems are not working sufficiently. Althoughvarious self-study and evaluation efforts have taken place through theSelf-Evaluation Committee, different actors and organizations are responsible forthe self-study and evaluation efforts of the different units. The results are notreported to the Self-Evaluation Committee. The University should set up a clear
policy for the internal quality assurance system and arrange the systems ofevaluation in a way such that the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle works
properly.

Area of Serious Concern
Faculty and faculty organization
The School of Dentistry is short of one full-time professor in order to satisfy theStandards for the Establishment of Universities. This situation must be corrected.

Enrollment
In the School of Dentistry, the average of the ratios of last five years of enrolled
freshmen to the freshman admission cap has been low at 0.78. This situation must
be corrected.