Accreditation

Liaison Committee on Medical Education

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is the accrediting body for medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States and Canada.  To achieve and maintain accreditation, the program must meet the LCME accreditation standards.  They are required to demonstrate that their graduates exhibit general professional competencies that are appropriate for entry to the next stage of their training and will serve as the foundation for lifelong learning and proficient medical care.

The CMU College of Medicine received preliminary accreditation in February 2012 and began recruiting qualified students.  After admitting the first few classes and showing significant progress towards compliance, the College was granted provisional accreditation in October 2016.  The inaugural class graduated in 2017 and the College became fully accredited in June 2018.

Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of LCME accreditation?

LCME accreditation is a peer-reviewed process of quality assurance that determines whether the medical education program meets established standards. The evaluation includes 93 elements in 12 standards.  Programs are required to demonstrate that their graduates exhibit general professional competencies that are appropriate for entry to the next stage of their training and will serve as the foundation for lifelong learning and proficient medical care.

What is the accreditation process?

The accreditation process occurs over 18 months and includes an institutional self-study and a peer-review site visit.  The steps in this process are:

  1. The College completes a self-study using a Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and responds to each of the 93 elements reviewed by the LCME.
  2. The student body completes an Independent Student Analysis (ISA).
  3. An Institutional Self-Study Task Force made up of several sub-committees received the DCI and the ISA and compiles self-study reports and a summary report.
  4. A three-day site visit takes place with a group of Faculty Members and Deans from other medical schools who review the submitted documents and interview faculty, students and residents.

What are the 12 Standards of Accreditation?

  1. Mission, Planning, Organization and Integrity.
  2. Leadership and Administration.
  3. Academic and Learning Environments.
  4. Faculty Preparation, Productivity, Preparation and Policies.
  5. Educational Resources and Infrastructure.
  6. Competencies, Curricular Objectives and Curricular Design.
  7. Curricular Content.
  8. Curricular Management, Evaluation and Enhancement.
  9. Teaching Supervision, Assessment and Student and Patient Safety.
  10. Medical Student Selection, Assignment and Progress.
  11. Medical Student Academic Support, Career Advising and Educational Records.
  12. Medical Student Health Services, Personal Counseling and Financial Aid Services.

What is the CMU College of Medicine’s current accreditation status?

The College of Medicine has been fully accredited since June 2018.

When was the last LCME site visit?

The most recent LCME visit took place in March 2023.  We are awaiting the results of the review.