UAMS College Of Medicine Gets Reaccredited For Full Eight Years

Arkansas’ only comprehensive academic health center has received a full, eight-year reaccreditation from a national committee that oversees medical education, officials at the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) said today.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), a partnership between the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges, granted the reaccreditation after a four-day review that followed a rigorous two-year self-study process involving more than 100 faculty and staff members.  The committee commended the college on its “innovative instructional strategy” among other things, officials said.

From Nov. 16-19, an LCME team of five experienced medical educators from around the United States visited the college and evaluated it in relation to 131 accreditation standards. The team’s report then was reviewed by the full 19-member committee, which made the final decision for reaccreditation.

The LCME noted that the partnership between Smith and UAMS Medical Center CEO Roxane Townsend, M.D., has resulted in significant benefits to the College of Medicine. The working synergy between these two individuals has contributed, for example, to improvements in the financial status of the college.

LCME recently commended the college on its “innovative instructional strategy” and the “psychological counseling and support provided” to students, officials said. It also noted that a “variety of campus-wide facilities significantly enhance learning.”

“I appreciate the work so many did in advance of the LCME reaccreditation visit,” said College of Medicine Dean G. Richard Smith, M.D. “We hold our college to high standards of medical education, but it still is rewarding to have health care professionals outside the university recognize that commitment to quality.”

University officials said full accreditation is not guaranteed. In fact, almost half of the medical colleges in the last five years have received less than a full, eight-year accreditation term. UAMS College of Medicine last received LCME reaccreditation in 2007.

Established in 1942 to oversee medical education, the LCME includes practicing physicians, public members and medical educators, students and administrators.

Accreditation establishes a medical college’s eligibility for selected federal grants and programs. Most state boards of licensure require that U.S. medical colleges be accredited by LCME as a condition for the licensure of their graduates.

“Medical education was the original mission of the university at its founding in 1879,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. “Although it has expanded to include patient care and research, medical education remains fundamental to success in those areas as well. Reaccreditation demonstrates LCME’s confidence in our ability to continue to fulfill our mission well into the 21st century.”

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with 2,890 students and 782 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS regional centers throughout the state.