Faculty of Medicine Accreditation

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Background

Accreditation is a process of peer review and quality assurance that determines whether an institution or program meets established standards (125 of them) for function, structure, and performance. The accreditation process also fosters institutional and program improvement.
All medical schools in Canada and the U.S. are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is responsible for examining medical schools to ensure that the standards are met. The timetable for this process is currently in transition from a seven to an eight year cycle.
The LCME engages in accreditation in collaboration with the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS). The LCME is recognized as the accreditation authority for undergraduate medical programs by Canada’s medical schools and their parent universities.

Purpose of accreditation:

1. Accreditation provides a mechanism to ensure that a given school meets certain prescribed standards in the provision of its program of medical education. The standards, outlined in Functions and Structure of a Medical School have been developed and accepted by medical educators, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The uniform standards are applied to all medical schools in the United States and Canada.
2. Accreditation fosters an institutional reflection and evaluation of ongoing activities within the Faculty of Medicine. This process allows the institution to review its strengths and weaknesses and to suggest important recommendations to help it achieve its goals. This process can ultimately help the Faculty further define and revise its strategic plan, and shape its direction in the short and long-term.

Steps in the accreditation process:

1. Completion of the LCME Medical Education Database by Faculty  administrators, Faculty members and students.
2. Analysis of the database and other information sources by the Institutional Self-Study Task Force (ISSTF) and its subcommittees, and development of the committee reports, and the summative self-study report.
3. Visitation by an LCME survey team and preparation of the survey team report.
4. Decision on accreditation by the LCME/CACMS, and letter of notification to the school outlining non-compliant issues, and requirements.

Questions asked by the accreditation team:

1. Has the institution clearly established its objectives?
2. Are the institution's programs and resources organized to meet these objectives?
3. Is the institution achieving its objectives?
4. What is the evidence?

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