Liaison Committee on Medical Education


The Liaison Committee on Medical Education is an accrediting body for educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association. It publishes many guides and standards, including the Directory of Accredited Medical Education Programs. The LCME currently accredits 155 U.S. schools, which includes 4 in Puerto Rico, as well as 17 others in Canada. The LCME accredits only the schools that grant a Doctor of Medicine degree. Osteopathic medical schools that grant the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree are accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association.

History

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, an accrediting body for US and Canadian professional education services, was established 50 years ago at a 1942 conference of members of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association.

Accreditation

LCME accreditation for licensing students and obtaining federal financial aid and professional education services in the United States and Canada leading to an MD degree. Also students of LCME-approved institutions are considered for internship programs that are approved for the purposes of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The method frequently promotes change of systematic and programmatic practice.