(Edmonton) University of Alberta medical students from the class of 2012 scored top marks on their medical licensing exams-a feat achieved two years in a row.
The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry recently received the Part 1 results from the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination from the spring. The U of A medical students' overall results were the highest among those from all 17 Canadian medical schools.
"We are so proud of our medical students and their achievements," said Douglas Miller, dean of medicine and dentistry.
"Our students truly are the best and the brightest in the country, regularly maintaining a high level of excellence in all that they do. Please join me in congratulating them on such an amazing achievement."
The 2012 class rated first or second in eight of the 10 subcategories. In five of the exam outcomes, the 2012 class exceeded the mean score by a full standard error-a standing that U of A medical students have maintained for five years.
"It's a sense of pride and honour graduating alongside hard-working and professional fellow classmates," said Naheed Rajabali.
"To get top marks is representative of the hard work put forth not only by the students, but also by the administrators and educators."
He said his classmates strived for top marks right from the beginning of medical school, but especially focused their efforts in the last year of medical school. It involved a lot of practice exams and studying along the way, said Rajabali.
The achievement says a great deal about the high quality of education medical students have at the U of A, he noted.
The 2011 class of medical students also ranked number one in their Part 1 exam results, finishing above the national mean in all disciplines and ranking first in several individual disciplines.