NMC Releases Draft Framework for accreditation, ranking of Medical Colleges- 11 Criteria, 78 Parameters
National Medical Commission (NMC)
New Delhi: Specifying that the National Medical Commission (NMC) intends to carry out accreditation and rating of all medical colleges regulated by the Commission through an independent third-party agency, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the Commission recently released the Draft Framework for Accreditation and Ranking of Medical Colleges.
The Draft framework comprises a total of 11 criteria and 78 parameters. Placing it in the public domain, NMC requested all the stakeholders to submit their comments/suggestions, through an online form, within 21 days from the date of publication of the notice.
Issuing a Public Notice on 10.05.2025, NMC mentioned, "The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), National Medical Commission (NMC), in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 26(1)(d) of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019; intends to carry-out accreditation & rating of all Medical Colleges regulated by the NMC, through an independent third party agency."
"In this regard, the Draft Framework for Accreditation and Ranking of Medical Colleges comprising of total 11 criteria & 78 parameters, is hereby placed in the public domain for seeking comments/suggestions from stakeholders... All stakeholders are requested to submit their comments/suggestions through an online form in the link provided below, within 21 days from the date of publication of this notice," NMC further mentioned in the notice.
The online form for submitting suggestions on the draft can be accessed by using the link mentioned in the notification.
In the draft framework, NMC has included the scheme of Criteria and related parameters and allocated weightage, operational definition of criteria mapping with NMC Regulations for Assessment and Rating of medical colleges, allocation of weightages to parameters subsumed under Criteria, operational definition and scoring rubrics for parameters subsumed under Criteria, curriculum, practical/hands on/ clinical experiences, teaching-learning environment- physical, psychological & occupational, students' admission, attainment of competence & progression, human resource & teaching-learning process, assessment policy including the formative, internal and summative assessment, research output and impact, financial-resource including the recurring and non-recurring expenditures, community outreach programs, quality assurance system, feedback and perception of stakeholders.
Scheme of Criteria and related parameters and allocated weightage:
While specifying the scheme of Criteria and related parameters and allocated weightage, NMC in the Draft mentioned the total allocated weightages for different assessment and rating criteria such as- curriculum implementation and capacity building activities, clinical exposure, clinical training, internship and clinical facilities, teaching-learning environment, students' admission, attainment of competence and progression, human resource and teaching-learning process, assessment policy for formative/interna; and summative assessment, research output and impact, financial-resource- recurring and non-recurring expenditures, community outreach programs, quality assurance system, feedback and perception of stakeholders.
Operational definition of criteria mapping with NMC Regulations for Assessment and Rating of medical colleges:
NMC in the draft has discussed the definition of 11 criteria for assessment and rating of medical colleges. These criteria are as follows:
1. Curriculum Implementation and Capacity Building activities
2. Clinical exposure, clinical training, internship and training facilities
3. Teaching-learning environment- Physical, psychological and occupational
4. Students' admission, attainment of competence and progression
5. Human resource and teaching-learning process
6. Assessment policy: formative, internal & summative assessment
7. Research output and impact
8. Financial Resource: recurring & non-recurring expenditures
9. Community outreach programs
10. Quality assessment system, and
11. Feedback and perception of stakeholders
Allocation of weightages to parameters subsumed under Criteria:
Apart from defining these 11 criteria, NMC has also specified about the allocation of weightages to the parameters subsumed under Criteria. It has specified separate parameters subsumed under each of these 11 criteria, specified the weightage allocated to each of these parameters, segregated between the nature of the parameter (qualitative/quantitative) and also mentioned about the performance level of the college.
Operational definition and scoring rubrics for parameters subsumed under Criteria:
For each of these criteria and the parameters subsumed under them, NMC has also discussed separately about the operational explanation, and scoring rubrics for each of these parameters. It has broken down each of these parameters into sub-parameters and discussed about four rating levels along with the required supporting documents.
The 11 criteria, as mentioned in the draft, along with their operational explanations are as follows:
Criterion 1- Curriculum Implementation and Capacity Building Activities:
This criterion aims to capture information related to implementation of Competence Based Curriculum prescribed by Medical Regulators for UG Program. Some parameters of qualitative nature & some parameters of quantitative natures are subsumed under this criterion. Qualitative parameters are predominantly related to process aspects of implementation of Curriculum, for verification of curriculum implementation, sampled faculty staff representation from all subjects will be interacted. Further sampled students of all professional years will be interacted by Assessment Team members on the day of visit wherever required for capturing viewpoints of students. For all qualitative & quantitative parameters, Data Capture Format (DCF) have been designed and accordingly Medical College will provide information related to each parameter.
Under this criterion, parameters are designed related to Implementation of Competency Based Curriculum, Elective courses, constitution and functioning Academic Council, Curriculum Committee (CC) and MEU (Medical Education Unit), capturing information faculty wise for type of FDPs (Faculty Development Programs) have been attended like BCME (Basic Course in Medical Education), CISP, ACME (Advance Course in Medical Education) and further parameters are designed related to Collaboration with Academic or Research Institutions in India and abroad and further type of activities have been executed based on collaborations. Wherever required, Assessment Team will interact with sampled faculty and sampled students.
Criterion 2- Clinical Exposure, Clinical Training, Internship and Clinical Facilities:
Based on the curriculum laid down by the Medical Regulator for UG Program in Medical Education, students will be provided with mandatory hands-on experiences through clinical postings in Medicine and allied specialties, Surgery and allied specialties, Community Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynaecology etc. Hence parameters have been designed under this criterion pertaining to availability of required clinical materials in different specialties as mentioned above. Some parameters are designed to capture information like number laboratory-based investigations carried out in available clinical laboratories in attached teaching hospital, number of radiological investigations performed under department of radio-diagnosis, OPD attendance and IPD admission data in abovementioned clinical departments in attached teaching hospital etc. Parameters under this criterion has been designed with assumptions that adequate patient loads and other clinical materials are highly needed for clinical training of medical students in health care settings.
Criterion 3- Teaching –Learning Environment: - Physical, Psychological & Occupational:
With “Establishment of Medical institutions, Assessment & Rating Regulations, 2023”, there should be conducive teaching-learning environment for organization teaching learning activities.
Criterion 4- Students’ Admission, Attainment of Competence & Progression:
As per title of this criterion, parameters framed under this criterion are related to admission, competency attainment and progression of students. As UGMEB has prescribed CBME (Competency Based Medical Education) and accordingly subject wise competencies have been specified in GMER-2023. Starting tow parameters are related to assessment of competencies of students vis-à-vis prescribed competencies for all professional years. Competencies of the sampled students/interns will be assessed in Skill Laboratory based simulated setting and real clinical setting.
Some parameters are related to admissions of students in MBBS. NEET-UG scores/ranks of admitted students in Medical Colleges under unreserved category will be compared. It is assumed that College wise computation average UG-NEET scores/ranks vis-à-vis all admitted students may be proxy for reputations of colleges among students. Further College wise average NEET-PG ranks/scores of minimum cutoff qualified students under unreserved category will be computed, further it is assumed that it may be proxy of quality of teachinglearning environment in the concerned Medical Colleges. One parameter is related to students’ progression towards higher program in medical education, for this NEET-PG admission under AIQ (All India Quota) organized by MCC will be taken into considerations, under this parameter, percentage of qualified students who have gotten admission under AIQ organized by MCC.
Criterion 5- Human Resource & Teaching-Learning Process:
Parameters which are framed under this criterion are related to number of faculty vis-à-vis sanctioned intake, attrition rate of faculty, percentage of faculty (Professor, Associate Professor & Assistant Professor) with additional qualifications, academic presentations by faculty and students in conferences organized as International, National and State level, contribution of faculty in online & offline course materials, achievement of fellowship awards etc. Further, presentations by students and faculty in conferences will be accepted when conferences are organized by registered professional bodies. Professional bodies may be registered with EMRBNMC and State Medical Council (SMC).
Criterion 6- Assessment Policy: Formative, Internal & Summative Assessment:
This criterion predominantly deals with formative, internal and summative assessment vis-à-vis competencebased Curriculum by Medical Regulators. For deriving parameters, guidelines and curriculum prescribed by UGMEB-NMC have been referred. For specifying rubrics for parameters framed under this criterion, documented developed by MCI/NMC like Module-3 Assessment for CISP-2019 and Logbook guideline-2019 and GMER-2019 & 2023 have been referred.
Parameters framed under this criterion is related to Formative Assessments, Internal Assessment Examinations and Support Programme/Remedial Instruction based on analysis of assessment data post Formative and Internal Assessment Examinations.
Criterion 7- Research Output & Impact:
This criterion of “Research Output & Impact” related to assessment and rating parameter- “The research output of the medical institution that has contributed to the existing knowledge and the research impact created by the medical institution” as mentioned in Assessment and Rating Regulations-2023.
Under this criterion, parameters like number of research papers published in indexed journals, number of citations published research papers, impact factors of journals in which research papers are published, number and type of funded research projects completed/ongoing in College, number of patent filed/granted etc. are subsumed. While deriving parameters for this Criterion, it has been taken into account that parameters should be related to both quantity & quality of research activities in Medical College/Institution.
Criterion 8- Financial-Resource: Recurring & non-recurring expenditures:
Under this criterion, those parameters are kept which are proxy for effective teaching learning process and clinical training of students. Amount spent on procurement of consumable material/articles in Laboratories, amount spent on purchasing of Books & Journals, amount spent on procuring consumables for indoor & outdoor sports facilities, amount spent on conducting Professional Development programs for Faculty staff, amount spent on salary of teaching, amount spent on maintenance of nonconsumable equipment in Laboratory, OTs and department of radio-diagnosis etc. all these are proxy for how teaching-learning activities are being organized as per standards laid down by UGMEB.
Criterion 9- Community Outreach Programs:
This criterion deals with Community Outreach Programs being conducted by Medical College. As per GMER2023, Family Adoption Programme (FAP) has been made essential component of Curriculum. Parameters under this criterion are derived from guidelines laid down by UGMEB for Family Adoption Programme, like student wise adopted families in the villages, organisation of diagnostic camps and screening of family members, organization of follow-up diagnostic camps etc.
Criterion 10- Quality Assurance System:
This criterion deals with the Quality Assurance System (QAS). It encompasses practices related to the QAS, such as the proactive approach of Medical Colleges, including accreditation of Laboratories by specialized and recognized national or international bodies, as well as accreditation of Hospitals by specialized national or international bodies. This parameter primarily focuses on gathering information that indicates how the Medical College ensures compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) established by specialized accreditation bodies for the functioning of Laboratories and Hospitals. Additionally, information will be gathered regarding the implementation of safety measures in accordance with NMC guidelines and Constitution and functioning of Committees like Pharmacovigilance Committee, AMS Committee etc.
Criterion 11- Feedback & Perception of Stakeholders:
This criterion focuses on capturing feedback and information about the perception of stakeholders such as students, staff and alumni, regarding the quality of Medical Colleges. It is crucial to understand the facilities available in the Medical College from the students' perspective. Students have direct experience to these facilities and can provide relevant information about whether the available resources contribute to their training as intended by the Medical Regulator. Additionally, understanding the perception of alumni towards the Medical College is important to assess how their past training at the institution has influenced their professional lives and their overall experience of the College's quality. Feedback and satisfaction surveys will be conducted for faculty staff to gain insight into their experiences while implementing the Competence-Based Curriculum at the College, as well as their level of satisfaction regarding work conditions and financial entitlement and benefits provided by the institution. This criterion is associated with the assessment and rating criteria set forth by the NMC, specifically related to Students' Feedback, Academic Excellence, and Teaching-Learning Environment categories.
To view the Draft, click on the link below:
https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/nmc-draft-rating-of-medical-colleges-286389.pdf
