Medical school proposal will end up being another ‘fiasco’

SECOND OF THREE PARTS

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education does expect some elements of institutional organization, operation, and resources to be in place before it will consider the program for initial, provisional accreditation. Specifically, the elements are relative to institutional setting, educational program, medical students, faculty, and educational resources.

Within the institutional setting element, LCME stipulates that a medical school should be a part of a not-for-profit university, or chartered as a not-for-profit institution by the government of the jurisdiction in which it operates. The manner, in which the medical school is organized, including the responsibilities and privileges of administrative officers, faculty, students, and committees, must be promulgated in the medical school or university bylaws.

The governing board responsible for oversight of the medical school must be composed of persons who have “no personal or pecuniary interest or other conflict of interest in the operation of the school, its associated hospitals, or any related enterprises. Terms of governing board members should be overlapping and sufficiently long to permit them to gain an understanding of the programs of the medical school.

Administrative officers and members of a medical school faculty must be appointed by, or on the authority of, the governing board of the medical school or its parent university.

The institutional setting must include the appointment of the founding dean and administrative leadership, e.g., department chairs, for academic units that will have major responsibilities for medical student education, especially in those disciplines to be taught during the two years of the curriculum. In addition, there has to be the chartering of the major “standing committees” of the medical school, particularly those dealing with the curriculum, student advancement, admissions, and faculty promotion and tenure.

Clearly, the educational program leading to the M.D. degree lies at the core of the accreditation process and standards. Prior to admitting its first (charter) class of students, a new medical school is expected to have defined the overall objectives for the educational program and a detailed layout of the first year of study, including required courses and content, and identification of the resources needed for the delivery of required courses. In addition, there must be in place a specification of the types of teaching and student evaluation methods best suited for the achievement of educational objectives. And finally, the educational program must incorporate the design of a system for curriculum management and review, as well as for the educational program evaluation, including the designation of outcome measures to indicate achievement of overall educational objectives.

LCME stipulates that a new medical school must clearly define admissions policies and selection criteria for all prospective medical students. Adequate resources to assure essential student services in the areas of academic counseling, financial aid, health services, and personal counseling must be in place. Moreover, there must be written standards and procedures for the evaluation, advancement, and graduation of students and for disciplinary action, including appeal mechanisms to assure due process.

LCME expects that a new medical school have written policies and procedures for faculty appointment, promotion, and tenure. Furthermore, the school must hire a sufficient number of qualified faculty members with legitimate academic credentials, i.e., M.D. Ph.D., to provide the first year of instruction for the medical students and a recruitment plan and timetable for hiring faculty to deliver the second year of the educational program.

With respect to educational resources, LCME expects a new medical school to have fiscal budgets and supporting financial resources for the first five years of operation. The school must have a campus that will incorporate enough space for classrooms, laboratories, and faculty and staff offices, as well as enough supporting educational infrastructure for all medical students at every class level, i.e., freshman through senior.

The library and information technology services must be appropriate to meet the needs of the medical students for education research, and patient care. In addition, the new school must identify clinical teaching sites for some medical students to eventually select.

The recent media story “Medical school proposed on Saipan” indicated that the “Loyola Medical School Foundation” operates a college in the Philippines and has an affiliate in California. The college in the Philippines and the affiliate in California “are not” accredited by the LCME. There is a “Loyola University Medical School” in Illinois but has nothing to do with “Loyola Medical School Foundation”. Furthermore, since LCME does not grant accreditation to institutions outside the United States and Canada, the newly proposed medical school will never be able to obtain the dubious distinction of being a “genuine medical school” approved by a recognized U.S. medical authority.

Dr. Jesus D. Camacho
Delano, California