Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) Visit April 15-16

April 12, 2024

Dear PSOM Community,
  
On Monday, April 15, and Tuesday, April 16, we will welcome site visitors from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) to our medical school. The LCME is an accrediting body for medical education programs leading to the MD degree and is jointly sponsored by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The purpose of this important visit is for re-accreditation of our medical school.
  
During the site visit next week, the LCME will meet with groups of faculty, staff, and students. We ask that you wear your Penn ID card on these two days. If you need a lanyard for your ID, please stop by the front desk* of the Medical Education Administration Office on JMEC 6. In addition to a scheduled tour with students, LCME site visitors may walk around PSOM and approach students and faculty. If the site visitors ask you questions, answer honestly, and hopefully, positively.
  
We are well-prepared for this site visit. As part of this process, we have submitted several items required by the LCME, including the:

  • Data Collection Instrument (DCI)

Nearly 500 pages of data and narrative responses that describe our resources, faculty, space, finances, students and curriculum. Accompanying the DCI are thousands of pages of appendices. 

  • Independent Student Analysis (ISA)

Created and administered by students to identify gaps and issues that we then addressed with program improvement projects (PIPs). Follow-up survey data were added to the DCI. 

  • Steering Task Force Self-Study Report 

Committees reviewed the 12 LCME Standards (comprising 93 elements) requiring compliance. The Steering Task Force helped prepare a 9-page self-study report summarizing our strengths and opportunities for improvement.


A mock site visit in February helped us refine additional preparation materials (including Tips and Tricks) for faculty, students, and staff who will be meeting with the LCME. This past Tuesday, we held a Prep Rally for our students.
  
The site visitors will report their findings to the LCME. When the LCME Committee meets in the summer, they will render a decision to us in writing about our status and about any areas that may need improvement (the LCME Committee is responsible for this, not the site visitors). We will share that information with you.
  
Preparing for the site visit was a team endeavor. Approximately 300 people have helped, whether gathering information or participating in the sessions; and close to 700 students (over 90%) have answered our surveys. Impressive! We appreciate all your support and look forward to this visit with anticipation and pride in our school. Let’s rock this visit! Thank you so much for your support.
  
So proud of Penn and PSOM faculty, staff, and students,


Jonathan Epstein, MD
Interim Dean, PSOM
 
Suzi Rose, MD, MSEd
Senior Vice Dean for Medical Education
LCME Faculty Accreditation Lead

Jennifer Kogan, MD
Associate Dean for Student Success & Professional Development
LCME Faculty Fellow

 

*Take the South elevators to the sixth floor. Go through the doors directing you to Medical Education Administration. Open the first door on your right and you will find the reception desk where you can pick up a lanyard.