The Cooperativa de Enseñanza Superior Politécnica y Universitaria (CESPU) appealed to the Administrative Fiscal Court to suspend a decision by the accreditation body, which once again rejected the proposal to create a new Medicine degree.
It is not the first time that he CESPU proposes the creation of an integrated master’s degree in Medicine. The most recent proposal was submitted in October 2021, but, more than a year after the application, the Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES) chose not to give the green light.
In a note sent to Lusa, CESPU explains that the institution filed a precautionary measure, in the Administrative Tax Court of Penafiel, with the aim of suspending the decision, alleging that “it contains formal defects and a biased position.”
On the one hand, the institution alleges that the accreditation agency refused to meet it and highlights that the established deadlines were not met (the resolution should have been issued within nine months of the request, but this only happened after 13 months). .
Given that the A3ES widely exceeded the term to issue an express resolution, CESPU understands that there was a tacit concession of its request to open the Integrated Master’s Degree in Medicine”, writes the institution, indicating that it requested the registration of the course.
The proposal contemplated the creation of a seven-year integrated master’s degree: the first three in a degree in Biomedical Sciences and the next four in a master’s degree in medicine, also being able to admit students with equivalent degrees from another institution.
With 60 vacancies per year, aimed at national and foreign students, the course would be held at the University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS), and clinical teaching at the teaching hospital of the Central Hospital of the Trofa Saúde group, in Vila do Conde.
The students’ experience would also go through six other hospitals of the group in the North region, at the Tâmega Sousa Hospital Center, at the Matosinhos Local Health Unit-Pedro Hispano Hospital, and other primary health care units.
“The protocols with all these health institutions represent 1,927 beds and guarantee students complete training in all medical specialties”defends CESPU, arguing that it is a “robust path”.
However, the Agency had some reservations about the proposal, questioning, for example, the admission criteria, considering that the institution and its students are favoured, and saying that the selection process should be more transparent.
On the other hand, he considers that the objectives of the degree are only partially defined, which also raises doubts about the IUCS Biomedical Sciences degree as an alternative to the first two years of training in Medicine.
In response to A3ES, CESPU asked for clarification on topics that the agency says are “partly” defined, explaining that the selection process differs from public institutions, including interviews to “assess the candidate’s ability to become a doctor.” “.
“The IUCS-CESPU degree in Biomedical Sciences meets the requirements of the first two years of adequate training in Medicine, since there are six Spanish universities that accept it, which allows students to access the clinical years of the integrated master’s degree. ”, affirms the institution.
Source: Observadora
