Internal evaluation of Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2009

Since internal evaluation is an effective procedure toward improving quality, universities should consider self-evaluation priority and pave the way for continuous quality improvement. To this end, department of physiology and pharmacology followed this approach for the first time to achieve the mentioned goal. In this descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study, based on the internal evaluation pattern, the evaluation criteria were investigated in the department including a) department objectives, management and organization b) teaching staff c) educational courses and curriculums followed by the department and learning and teaching process d) students. Each criterion included a set of markers, and the data were gathered through the forms and questionnaires and classified according to the key variables, then analyzed using qualitative statistical tests and Likert scale. Overall, the results obtained from the internal evaluation revealed that the situation in the department of physiology and pharmacology of medical school in the mentioned criteria is relatively desirable. Based on the findings of this study, it seems that there are some weak points which were revealed following the internal evaluation in the department.To improve the department situation in the future, planning, sensible decision making, and the support of authorities are necessary.