How is it done?
The school to be visited prepares a very extensive set of documents – database, student surveys, and summary of an Institutional Self-Study (ISS) carried out with wide participation by administrators, faculty, staff, and students. These documents are submitted to LCME/CACMS about three months prior to the visit, and are thoroughly studied by the accreditation team. The ensuing visit usually commences with a Sunday evening meeting with the dean, followed by two and one-half days of meetings with faculty, students, and administrators. The accreditation team delivers an oral report to the dean before departing, outlining their findings of strengths, and non-compliances with the standards. A draft report is submitted to the LCME and to the dean for checking of factual accuracy, and a final report is submitted to the LCME and CACMS. These committees consider the report and issue the final decision to the medical school. This may be accompanied by a request for progress reports outlining actions taken to correct any perceived deficiencies.
