In what is a culmination of a multi-year process that began in 2011, the medical school has been granted initial accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
The HLC Board of Trustees granted WMed initial accreditation at its meeting on June 28, 2018. The important announcement means that medical school leaders have demonstrated that the institution meets the eligibility requirements, assumed practices, criteria for accreditation, and all federal compliance requirements following the submission of documentation and a comprehensive evaluation that took place in fall 2017.
As with all newly accredited institutions, WMed will have initial accreditation for a 10-year period with a comprehensive evaluation for reaffirmation in the fourth year (2021-2022). Prior to the most recent decision by the HLC, WMed held candidate status with the HLC since July 2016.
This important accreditation marks a major milestone in the accreditation journey for the medical school and reaffirms that WMed has matured beyond being a new school.
Hal B. Jenson, MD, MBA, the medical school’s founding dean, said the announcement from the HLC is a credit to the hard work of each and every person at WMed.
“Thank you to the entire WMed community – our Board, affiliates, faculty, residents, fellows, staff, and students – for your commitment to excellence,” Dr. Jenson said. “Together we accomplish great things at WMed.”
The HLC is one of six regional institutional accreditors in the U.S. that accredits degree-granting, post-secondary educational institutions.
Accreditation by the HLC assures quality by verifying that institutions like WMed meet threshold standards and is engaged in continuous improvement. The accreditation process is rooted in a system of peer review. Approximately 1,300 educators from institutions of higher education serve as peer reviewers and conduct accreditation evaluations of other institutions.
The announcement by the HLC comes on the heels of WMed being granted full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). LCME, the national accrediting body for education programs leading to the MD degree, granted the medical school full accreditation for a five-year period during its meeting in February 2018. Five years is the maximum possible for a new school receiving its initial full accreditation.