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 process fosters institutional and programmatic improvement through self-study and reflection. To achieve and maintain accreditation, a medical education program leading to the MD degree in the United States and Canada must meet the LCME accreditation standards contained in the LCME document Functions and Structure of a Medical School. Programs are required to demonstrate that their graduates exhibit the general professional competencies appropriate for entry to the next stage of their training and as lifelong learners in the delivery of proficient medical care.
Accreditation by the LCME establishes eligibility for certain federal grants and programs, including Title VII funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The pathway to licensure is facilitated by being a student or graduate of an LCME-accredited medical school through connections with the United States Medical Licensing Examination and the Federation of State Medical Boards.
(Excerpted from lcme.org)
How do medical schools in the U.S. and Canada maintain accredited status?
Established medical education programs typically undergo the self-study process and a full survey visit every eight years.
Schools are expected to have an ongoing process of continuous quality improvement throughout the eight years. They are expected to show that they have the financial and physical resources, appropriately trained leadership and faculty, learning environment and clinical placement sites to promote medical student learning. They are expected to have a thoughtfully planned curriculum that permits the demonstration of the competencies needed to progress into residency and the supervised practice of medicine. As the world changes, medical schools are expected to demonstrate that they have plans to adjust and still maintain the central goal of medical student education. (Excerpted from lcme.org)
COVID Update: Has COVID-19 impacted our self-study process or site visit plans?
While the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted several changes to university education programs, class and faculty schedules, and in-person meetings, OSUCOM is still scheduled to have our in-person site visit in March 2022. In preparation for our site visit, we have reserved meeting spaces that allow for adequate social distancing with the safety of all participants being our utmost priority. We are also updating our plans regularly as the pandemic evolves. Our DCI subcommittee teams are progressing in accordance with our timeline and set to complete their Standards and Elements in late January, 2021. The ISA survey was released in mid-December 2020, and is on schedule to conclude at the end of January.
The LCME made one significant change, however, for schools with LCME full accreditation visits in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The Self Study Report (SSR), a required component of the institution’s survey package, has been significantly reduced from 35 down to 5 pages in length. This change was made to reduce the amount of time and human resources allocated to writing the report, while still preserving the important reflective process and benefits of the self-study analysis. The goal of the SSR remains to identify risks in such areas where they align or overlap with accreditation, and allow schools to implement appropriate strategic planning objectives for continuous quality improvement. The LCME also issued new guidelines in December 2020 with regard to how schools may respond to narratives in the DCI in light of changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
When did Ohio State College of Medicine last receive full accreditation status?
The Ohio State University College of Medicine had its last site visit in March 2014, with full accreditation received from the LCME in October 2014.
What are the components of accreditation?
Schools are required to meet 12 standards consisting of 93 individual elements. These 12 standards span the entire medical educational program, covering the following areas:
- Mission, Planning, Organization and Integrity
- Leadership and Administration
- Academic and Learning Environments
- Faculty Preparation, Productivity, Preparation and Policies
- Educational Resources and Infrastructure
- Competencies, Curricular Objectives and Curricular Design
- Curricular Content
- Curricular Management, Evaluation and Enhancement
- Teaching Supervision, Assessment, and Student and Patient Safety
- Medical Student Selection, Assignment and Progress
- Medical Student Academic Support, Career Advising and Educational Records
- Medical Student Health Services, Personal Counseling and Financial Aid Services
What is the self-study process?
The accreditation process has two general and related goals: to promote institutional self-evaluation and continuous quality improvement, and to determine whether a medical education program meets the requirements and expectations determined by the LCME. During the institutional self-study, a medical school collects, reviews and analyzes the data requested by the LCME and found in the data collection instrument (DCI). A task force composed of key institutional leaders is formed to direct the self-study process, and various subcommittees are convened consisting of faculty, staff and students who possess knowledge of the medical education program. The task force and subcommittees identify institutional strengths and areas of concern so that strategies may be enacted to either maintain, enhance or bring about change.
Who sits on the LCME task force at Ohio State College of Medicine?
The LCME Institutional Self Study task force is composed of deans, department chairs, senior staff, faculty and students who have through their experience acquired knowledge and/or oversight of certain elements of the accreditation standards. The Ohio State College of Medicine task force is chaired by Dan Clinchot, MD, vice dean for Education, and Judith Westman MD, LCME faculty accreditation lead.
How can faculty and staff help prepare for the site visit?
The self-study process provides a great opportunity for faculty and staff to learn more about Ohio State College of Medicine and commit to our institution’s continuous quality improvement. As the self-study process gets underway, faculty and staff may be asked to provide data for the DCI. You may be asked to book conference rooms or reschedule other meetings to accommodate LCME-related matters. In addition, as we go through the process, we may discover areas that require changes or improvements to implement prior to March 2022. We appreciate your patience, flexibility and commitment to helping us implement these needs as they arise.
Everyone is encouraged to read LCME announcements and bulletins so that you stay apprised of relevant updates. Again, we appreciate your patience, cooperation and understanding!
How can medical students help prepare for the site visit?
Students are a critical part of data collection and analysis. Students in all years will be asked to complete an independent student analysis (ISA) in which they provide information on 71 different items required by the LCME and on other items developed by student leaders. The LCME requires that at least 70% of each class year respond to the ISA. Student leaders will then provide data from the ISA to incorporate into the DCI as well as provide the data and an analysis to the LCME. While the college will assist student leaders in the process, the college is prohibited from suggesting modifications to student conclusions.
Students and recent graduates will also be asked to participate in the LCME task force subcommittees and to participate in the data collection and analysis of the DCI. Students and recent graduates will also meet with the site visit team in March 2022.