Grounding a Quality Assurance Framework From the Perspectives and Experiences of Deans From PAASCU Level III and IV Accredited Medical Schools

The COVID-19 pandemic severely strained the Philippine healthcare system, exacerbating the shortage of doctors and necessitating the enactment of Republic Act 11509, which spurred a significant increase in new medical schools through government scholarships.Despite this growth, a standardized quality assurance (QA) framework tailored for these new institutions remains absent.This grounded theory study, guided by Hatch and Schultz's Identity Dynamics theory, investigated the experiences of administrators and educators through semi-structured interviews with four deans of accredited medical colleges and three Augustinian formators.Through open, axial, selective, and theoretical coding, the study developed an emergent theory: Quality Medical Education Driven by Core Values.This theory informs a proposed QA framework specifically designed for new medical schools, integrating structures and mechanisms across all institutional areas while remaining intrinsically linked to core values.By addressing the gap in QA guidance, the framework ensures that new institutions deliver education meeting government and accreditation standards without compromising their organizational identity and image.This study affirms that anchoring quality processes in a school's unique identity provides a robust pathway for academic excellence and institutional integrity in the Philippine medical education landscape.