The Accreditation Process for the School of Medicine

The date for our next survey visit by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting organization for the educational program in the School of Medicine leading to the MD degree, is January 24-26, 2028. The LCME is jointly sponsored by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The LCME is responsible for establishing the standards for educational programs and for assessing compliance with those standards. While this process is voluntary, it enables our graduates to take the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) which most state boards require as a condition for licensure. Programs are fully assessed every 8 years. The previous site visit for our SOM was in February of 2020.

The current standards are divided into twelve broad areas which includes: 

Standard 1:  Mission, Planning, Organization, and Integrity

Standard 2:  Leadership and Administration

Standard 3:  Academic and Learning Environments

Standard 4:  Faculty Preparation, Productivity, Participation and Policies

Standard 5:  Educational Resources and Infrastructure

Standard 6:  Competencies, Curriculum Objectives, and Curricular Design

Standard 7:  Curricular Content

Standard 8:  Curricular Management, Evaluation, and Enhancement

Standard 9:  Teaching, Supervision, Assessment, and Student and Patient Safety

Standard 10:  Medical Student Selection, Assignment, and Progress

Standard 11:  Medical Student Academic Support, Career Advising, and Educational Records

Standard 12:  Medical Student Health Services, Personal Counseling, and Financial Aid Services

This comprehensive and formal review process is extensive. The review provides an opportunity for the school to explain any changes that have or have not occurred since the previous survey visit. Since the survey visit in 2020, a number of changes have occurred within the institution and the school including a redesigned preclinical curriculum, WorkDay implementation for students, and additions to the administrative teams.

The first phase of preparation for the survey visit is a self-study conducted by the school. The self-study process examines all of the areas noted in the standards and gathers data related to each of the areas. The kick-off for the self-study will be January 20, 2026. This self-study process requires the school to assess how the educational program and all of the support areas meet the above standards and the process engages representatives from administration, faculty, the student body and other key health care system constituents. Over the next 12-18 months, the self-study subcommittees will be reviewing these standards as well as the school’s current status with each standard. 

I hope that all faculty, staff, and students engaged in the educational program will embrace this process and use it to strengthen the work that we do daily.