SASKATOON - Saskatchewan's medical school is being warned to shape up or be put on probation.

The committee that accredits Canada's medical schools has sent a warning letter to the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine.

"This action indicates that there are areas of non-compliance that will, if not corrected promptly, seriously compromise the ability of the faculty to deliver a quality medical education program," wrote the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools.

The letter was dated July 2011, but was only now made public on the CBC Saskatchewan news website.

It notes that the warning of probation is confidential and said the school is not required to notify students.

Dr. William Albritton, dean of the college, said in an interview Thursday that faculty and students were told about the letter.

There are 130 standards applied to medical schools. Albritton said a fact-finding visit last year found the college is "weak or deficient" on 10 standards.

"The weaknesses were that our faculty didn't provide timely feedback to the students. You're expected to do this within a couple of weeks of the ending of the rotation," said Albritton.

"And busy people in a busy practice tend to delay those kinds of things. They don't see them as being quite as important as they actually are."

Albritton said instructors getting written standardized teaching and grading objectives is a problem. There's also concern around adequate student space for study, lounge and lockers at the Regina campus.

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Saskatchewan's only medical school gets probation warning to shape up