IAAR External Commission completed its evaluation mission of Nicolae Testemitanu University

"The success of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova belongs 90 percent to the managerial and teaching team, thanks to your dedication and professionalism. At each meeting with the commission members, the representatives of the university subdivisions demonstrated excellent preparation, thus we obtained answers to most of the questions. The entire team carried out its activity at a professional, transparent and efficient level."

The statement was made by Professor Konrad Juszkiewicz, President of the Commission of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR), who was on an evaluation mission to our university from March 17-19, 2025, with the aim of international institutional reaccreditation, according to the standards of the World Federation for Medical Education.

In this context, the external commission president emphasized the relevance of the Force_Med and Force_Farm projects for the development of research infrastructure and the implementation of the research-based training concept: "Although these projects are at the early stage of implementation, they have great potential to contribute to medical and pharmaceutical education, as well as to strengthening scientific research and innovation in the field."

At the same time, the president has emphasized the usefulness of the University Center for Simulation in Medical Training (CUSIM), highlighting the fact that it represents a successful model for developing the practical skills of university students, but also for other countries in the region.

At the same time, the remarkable leap made by the University in terms of the Hirsch index in the scientometric database Scopus, which has doubled in the last 5 years, was mentioned. Professor Juszkiewicz recommended maintaining this level of performance and continuously evolving, to strengthen the institution's reputation internationally.

Malika Saidulayeva, IAAR coordinator, noted the positive dynamics of the institution in the last 5 years, since the last international institutional accreditation, appreciating the quality of the study programs and activity processes. The IAAR representative has announced that the reports of the Commission members will be submitted to the University following their review by the IAAR Accreditation Council, on April 30, after which a multilateral evaluation report will be issued.

The IAAR Commission also identified several issues that require attention, in particular the overburdening of teaching and scientific staff. However, this was considered a normal challenge for maintaining a high-quality level in all areas of the institution's activity. Another essential aspect highlighted was the need to expand the financial autonomy of the University to support long-term development and sustainability. As for the institutional infrastructure, it was assessed as excellent, but the experts reiterated the need to create a university clinical hospital that would facilitate the University's activity, education, practice, medical and pharmaceutical research.

According to Bauyrzhan Omarkulov, IAAR expert, Nicolae Testemitanu University is developing dynamically, has authority in the medical and pharmaceutical community of the country and collaborates constructively with international organizations in the field. "We are delighted with the administrative team and the scientific and didactic staff, who teach in several languages ​​of communication and are loyal to the national health system. During interviews with graduates of the University, who are well-regarded in medical institutions abroad and even hold leadership positions, they enthusiastically recalled their student days. This fact demonstrates the quality of studies and the values ​​of the institution," the expert said.

Rodica Scutelnic, IAAR expert, found that the University implements the principle of education centered on student and resident physician: "In interviews, students and graduates stated that they feel comfortable here and appreciate the teaching staff and administrative team."

At the same time, the expert noted the evolution of the University Center for Simulation in Medical Training and its high-performance equipment, which plays an important role in the multilateral training of students and resident doctors, as well as in increasing patient safety.

Although he has no connection with medicine, Evelin Jitaru, a student and member of the external evaluation commission, was impressed by everything he saw, especially by the way students are evaluated through the University Management Information System (SIMU). "I heard the opinions of different students, most of whom were satisfied with the University. Your 1st place in the ranking of the most highly rated universities of the country is well deserved" the expert concluded.

At the end of the external evaluation mission’s closing meeting, Rector Emil Ceban has appreciated the work of the Commission, mentioning that the University is in a process of systematic development and improvement, in order to provide services at the highest level in the field of education, research, healthcare and lifelong professional training and shows continuous concern for ensuring quality and promoting national values ​​in the context of globalization.

"In the future, the implementation of several research projects, the expansion of CUSIM and the building of a new teaching block are envisaged to take place. We want to create a university hospital - a pressing need that will bring added value to the University, the entire medical system and the people of the country. We will consider the observations and recommendations of the commission, we will examine them thoroughly and we will implement them", the rector pointed out.

It should be noted that Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy obtained the status of an internationally accredited institution according to WFME standards for the first time in June 2019, for a period of 5 years.

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