Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) and MCW Community Connection

LCME accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process of quality assurance that determines whether the program meets established standards and fosters institutional and program improvement. An LCME accredited Medical Education Program Leading to the MD Degree must comply with the LCME standards contained in the document Functions and Structure of a Medical School and demonstrate that their graduates exhibit general professional competencies that are appropriate for entry to the next stage of training and that serve as the foundation for lifelong learning and proficient medical care. The LCME recognizes that diverse institutional missions and educational objectives may influence the approach taken towards achieving the standards, but subscribes to the proposition that local circumstances do not justify accreditation of a substandard program of medical education.

LCME accreditation enables medical schools to award MD degrees and establishes their eligibility for selected federal grants and programs, including Title VII funding administered by the Public Health Service. Most state boards of licensure require that U.S. medical schools be accredited by the LCME as a condition for licensure of the graduates. Eligibility of U.S. students to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) requires LCME accreditation of their school’s program. Graduates of LCME-accredited school programs are eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

LCME accreditation is awarded to a medical school’s MD program wherever the program is taught. The full 8-year term of LCME accreditation, which was awarded to MCW in 2019, applies to the programs offered at the Green Bay and Central Wisconsin campuses, in addition to the Milwaukee program. The regional campuses of a medical school are not accredited separately, nor are LCME’s expectations for compliance subject to an abbreviated set of standards at regional sites.

MCW is accredited as an institution of higher learning by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a regional accrediting agency. An institution like MCW must first hold HLC accreditation before it can receive full LCME accreditation of its MD program. MCW’s Medical School, Graduate School, Pharmacy School and any future degree granting schools that may be undertaken are encompassed institutionally under HLC accreditation and are subject to the standards set forth by the HLC for all institutions of higher learning.

In addition to the MD program, other programs hold specialized accreditations including MS Anesthesiologist Assistant, MS Genetic Counseling, Master of Public Health, Doctor of Public Health, and Pharmacy Doctor.

Medical students play an integral role in the accreditation process not only in engaging in the Independent Student Analysis (ISA) survey, but also as participants on the Self-Study Subcommittees. The opinions and concerns of the medical students weigh heavily in both the discovery process of the assigned LCME Survey Team and the accreditation decision of the LCME.

MCW was awarded accreditation for an indeterminate period which became accreditation for the maximum possible period of eight years after the visit in 2019. The maximum possible eight-year terms of accreditation were granted following both the 2003 and 2011 site visits. Following the 1996 and earlier site visits, MCW received seven-year terms of accreditation, the maximum possible at that time.

Preparation for a full LCME accreditation survey is an 18+ month process. The timeline for MCW’s next survey visit (April 5-7, 2027) started in 2024 with preliminary planning. Workgroups began meeting in January 2025.

MCW participates in LCME’s monthly webinar, “Connecting with the Secretariat” designed to address LCME questions for schools that are actively preparing for accreditation and those that wish to increase their understanding of the intent of the standards to help the school assess whether a related policy or practice would be considered as compliant. Each 90-minute webinar typically starts with the LCME Secretariat or guest speaker(s) giving a presentation on specific “element(s) or topic(s) of the month” followed by a question-and-answer session. Participants are welcome to just listen to the proceedings or to actively engage in the discussion by submitting typed chat questions during the webinar.

A full range of publications and whitepapers also are available offering insight into compliance expectations for the most frequently cited Elements and detailed instructions for engaging in the accreditation process.

March 20, 2024: LCME Site Visit Kickoff Meeting

January 2025: DCI Workgroups launch work

October 1, 2025 – April 1, 2026: Independent Student Analysis (ISA) Conducted

April 1, 2026: DCI due to MCW’s LCME team from Workgroup Leads

September – October, 2026: DCI reviewed by Self-study Task Force

October 15, 2026: Final draft of DCI due to MCW’s LCME team from Self-study Task Force

December 2026: Survey package sent to LCME

March 2027: Mock visit

April 5-7, 2027: Survey visit