- Burnett School College of Medicine
Two nationally recognized health leaders participated in a mock accreditation exercise for the UCF College of Medicine recently as the medical school prepares for a decision on its full accreditation.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical degree education programs in the U.S. and Canada, has awarded UCF provisional accreditation, the highest level a medical school can achieve at this stage of its development. In the fall an actual LCME survey team will visit the college for four days and speak with faculty, staff, students and community partners about UCF’s progress. A final decision on full accreditation is expected in February, 2013.
In preparation for the fall visit, the College of Medicine invited two medical school leaders to participate in a mock LMCE visit. The leaders were Dr. Michael Whitcomb, professorial lecturer in health policy at the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University, and a former dean of the schools of medicine at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Washington; and Dr. Michael Friedland, whose career has included various senior positions in healthcare services and administration, including dean of Texas A&M University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Schools of Medicine, West Virginia University regional campus and the now Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine.
Drs. Whitcomb and Friedland reviewed more than 1,700 pages of materials documenting how the College of Medicine is meeting 131 LCME standards in areas that include basic science, clinical training and educational resources. They met with College of Medicine faculty, staff, students and community partners. They noted the medical school’s strong support from UCF after meeting with university leaders including Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop and William Merck, vice president for administration and finance. They said the biggest challenge facing the medical school will be expanding its services and innovative curriculum as the student body continues to grow.
“The mock visit went very well,” said Dr. Julia Pet-Armacost, associate dean for planning and knowledge management who leads the accreditation effort. “All-in-all, we are very well positioned to do well during our actual visit in October.”