A practical guide to using the World Federation for Medical Education standards. WFME 2: educational program

BACKGROUND: Preparing a medical school for institutional review of all aspects of the school's programs requires an understanding of the international standards being used and adequate preparation and planning (MacCarrick et al. in Med Teach 32(5):e227, 2010; MacCarrick in Ir J Med Sci, 2010). This series examines each of the nine standards developed by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) (World Federation for Medical Education in Basic medical education WFME global standards for quality improvement, WFME Office, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 2003) with practical advice on their use in both self-review and independent accreditation processes. CONCLUSION: The WFME standard 2 (Educational Program) examines in detail the program offered by the medical school, the instructional methods used to deliver the program, how the program is managed and how the program is linked with subsequent stages of the medical education continuum. Evidence of a strong nexus between the research activities of the medical school and the school's teaching mission is vital. Accrediting teams will examine carefully the school's resource allocation model and seek evidence of effective consultation by the school's central curriculum committee.