About the LCME Accreditation Process
Overview
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredits programs in the United States and Canada leading to the MD degree. LCME accreditation survey visits happen every 8 years, and BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine will have its next LCME survey visit February 1–3, 2027. Preparation for LCME survey visits provides opportunities for the school community to come together to reflect and re-evaluate its mission and strategic plans and plan for future goals.
In fall 2024, the school’s leadership team came together and revised the School Mission, Vision, and Values, and the Strategic Plan focused on Frontier Medicine & Science 2025 and Beyond. Subsequently, subcommittees were formed to review and evaluate all aspects of educational programs and environments to support our medical students. Many faculty and staff worked together diligently to identify areas where the school is thriving, as well as areas to improve. This LCME survey visit website highlights the subcommittees’ reports and shares plans to further strengthen areas to support medical education.
The school is deeply appreciative of the faculty, staff, and students who spent many hours to date to prepare for the LCME survey visit in 2027. Your commitment and passion make Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine continue to strive for excellence.
Why is Accreditation Important?
Institutional accreditation by the LCME:
- Establishes eligibility for selected federal grants and programs, including Title VII funding administered by the U.S. Public Health Service.
- Establishes eligibility to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
- Is a requirement for graduates’ licensure by most state boards of licensure.
- Establishes eligibility of graduates for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Key Definitions
Data Collection Instrument (DCI): a comprehensive document, organized by accreditation standards and elements, that compiles detailed information about a medical school’s educational program, resources, policies, and outcomes. It serves as the primary source of evidence used to assess whether the school meets national standards. The DCI is submitted to the LCME.
Independent Student Analysis (ISA): a student-led evaluation of the medical education program, which includes a school-wide survey and a formal final report that summarizes student perspective of the curriculum, learning environment, and resources. The ISA is included in the documentation submitted to the LCME.
Self-Study Subcommittees: groups of faculty, students, and staff assigned to review specific areas of the medical education program, which includes a review and specific standards and elements, typically including a review of the completed DCI. Each subcommittee identifies strengths and areas of opportunity and produces a final report for the Task Force.
Task Force: a group consisting of the central leadership overseeing the LCME accreditation and self-study process. The task force reviews the findings of the subcommittees and the ISA to produce a final institutional self-study report that is submitted to the LCME.
LCME Standards
Standard 1: Mission, Planning, Organization, Integrity
A medical school has a written statement of mission and goals for the medical education program, conducts ongoing planning, and has written bylaws that describe an effective organizational structure and governance processes. In the conduct of all internal and external activities, the medical school demonstrates integrity through its consistent and documented adherence to fair, impartial, and effective processes, policies, and practices.
Standard 2: Leadership & Administration
A medical school has a sufficient number of faculty in leadership roles and of senior administrative staff with the skills, time, and administrative support necessary to achieve the goals of the medical education program and to ensure the functional integration of all programmatic components.
Standard 3: Academic & Learning Environment
A medical school ensures that its medical education program occurs in professional, respectful, and intellectually stimulating academic and clinical environments, recognizes the benefits of diversity, and promotes students’ attainment of competencies required of future physicians.
Standard 4: Faculty Preparation, Participation, & Policies
The faculty members of a medical school are qualified through their education, training, experience, and continuing professional development and provide the leadership and support necessary to attain the institution’s educational, research, and service goals.
Standard 5: Educational Resources & Infrastructure
A medical school has sufficient personnel, financial resources, physical facilities, equipment, and clinical, instructional, informational, technological, and other resources readily available and accessible across all locations to meet its needs and to achieve its goals.
Standard 6: Competencies, Curricular Objectives & Design
The faculty of a medical school define the competencies to be achieved by its medical students through medical education program objectives and is responsible for the detailed design and implementation of the components of a medical curriculum that enable its medical students to achieve those competencies and objectives. Medical education program objectives are statements of the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that medical students are expected to exhibit as evidence of their achievement by completion of the program.
Standard 7: Medical Student Selection & Assignment
The faculty of a medical school ensure that the medical curriculum provides content of sufficient breadth and depth to prepare medical students for entry into any residency program and for the subsequent contemporary practice of medicine.
Standard 8: Curricular Content
The faculty of a medical school engage in curricular revision and program evaluation activities to ensure that medical education program quality is maintained and enhanced and that medical students achieve all medical education program objectives and participate in required clinical experiences and settings.
Standard 9: Curricular Management Evaluation & Enhancement
A medical school ensures that its medical education program includes a comprehensive, fair, and uniform system of formative and summative medical student assessment and protects medical students’ and patients’ safety by ensuring that all persons who teach, supervise, and/or assess medical students are adequately prepared for those responsibilities.
Standard 10: Teaching, Supervision, Assessment, & Safety
A medical school establishes and publishes admission requirements for potential applicants to the medical education program and uses effective policies and procedures for medical student selection, enrollment, and assignment.
Standard 11: Academic Support, Career Advising & Records
A medical school provides effective academic support and career advising to all medical students to assist them in achieving their career goals and the school’s medical education program objectives. All medical students have the same rights and receive comparable services.
Standard 12: Health Services, Counseling, & Financial Aid
A medical school provides effective student services to all medical students to assist them in achieving the program’s goals for its students. All medical students have the same rights and receive comparable services.