UNS – The Bachelor of Midwifery and Professional Midwife Education Programs at the Faculty of Medicine (FK) of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta have undergone accreditation from the Independent Accreditation Institute for Health Higher Education Institutions (LAM-PTKes). The process took place over 4 days, starting from Monday (March 25, 2024) until Thursday (March 28, 2024). This is a form of external quality assurance for a program when conducting educational processes.
This step is taken as a realization of the vision to become an internationally reputable midwifery education institution, producing competent bachelor and professional midwife graduates who excel in utilizing technology in the field of community-based maternal and child health. LAM-PTKes assigned three assessors for both UNS Midwifery Programs. They were Yetty Leony Irawan, M.Sc, Willhelmina Wahara, M.Keb, and Ulfah Farrah Lisa, S.ST., M.Keb.
The UNS leadership, FK UNS Deanery, and the Head of the UNS Midwifery Programs welcomed the arrival of the three assessors in person. Present at the meeting were the Vice Rector of UNS for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Yunus, M.S; the Dean of FK UNS, Prof. Dr. Reviono, dr., Sp.P(K); the vice deans at FK UNS; and the Head of the Bachelor of Midwifery and Professional Midwife Education Programs, Dr. Ika Sumiyarsi Sukamto, S.ST., M.Kes. The meeting took place in the Meeting Room of the Rectorate Building, dr. Prakosa UNS.
Prof. Ahmad Yunus, in his speech, conveyed UNS’s ongoing commitment to advancing the quality of education. The change in status to a Legal Entity State University (PTNBH) has led UNS to continually improve. One of these improvements is enhancing the quality of existing study programs.
“I need to convey that after UNS transformed into PTNBH in 2020, or about 4 years ago, we have been striving to improve the quality of education at UNS. We have also prepared ourselves seriously and as best as possible to face this assessment process as part of our commitment to advancing the quality of study programs at UNS,” Prof. Yunus said.
After being welcomed by university leaders, the three assessors, along with faculty and program leaders, proceeded to the Soetjipto Hall of the FK UNS Building to undergo the field assessment process. The Dean of FK UNS, Prof. Dr. Reviono, dr., Sp.P(K), hoped that this activity would proceed smoothly and yield beneficial results for everyone.
Prof. Reviono stated that accreditation is a tool for assessing and reflecting on what a study program has accomplished thus far. He hoped that what has been reported in the adequacy forms corresponds to the reality in the field.
“We at FK UNS routinely undergo field assessments, which are now conducted by external parties as part of our quality assurance for our study programs, and now it’s time for us to undergo the audit from LAM-PTKes,” Prof. Reviono said.
Yetty Leony Irawan, M.Sc., in her remarks, hoped that all documents and field assessment results would match what has been reported previously. Furthermore, she stated that the assessors’ presence was to directly observe the conditions in the field, with the hope that all programs have been implemented effectively.
“Accreditation is a common practice in efforts to maintain the quality of education because, with accreditation, areas that need improvement or enhancement will be identified. Moreover, we believe that the implementation has been carried out. Hopefully, this four-day assessment will proceed smoothly,” she concluded.
After listening to presentations from the Dean of FK UNS and the Program Head, as well as conducting Q&A sessions, the three assessors conducted interviews with faculty members. Questions included those about the sufficiency of faculty members and the curriculum provided to students. Additionally, interviews were conducted with student representatives about academic and non-academic services.
This field assessment activity included document examination in nine criteria, followed by direct reviews of facilities at the UNS Hospital, the Jenawi Karanganyar Community Health Center, and the Independent Midwife Practice of Bidan Wulan Mardikanintyas in Kartasura. The three assessors expressed satisfaction with the completeness of facilities at these three locations.
The closure of this field assessment activity took place on the fourth day, marked by the signing and handover of the minutes of the meeting from the assessors to the Head of the Bachelor of Midwifery and Professional Midwife Education Programs at FK UNS. Humas UNS
Reporter: R.P.Adji
Editor: Dwi Hastuti