Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the context of Association of American Medical Colleges

⭐ Core Definition: Liaison Committee on Medical Education

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) 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.

The committee 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 the schools that grant a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Graduates of LCME-accredited schools are eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

↓ Menu

Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the context of Comparison of MD and DO in the United States

Most physicians in the United States hold either the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO). Institutions awarding the MD are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Institutions awarding the DO are accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The World Directory of Medical Schools lists both LCME accredited MD programs and COCA accredited DO programs as US medical schools. Foreign-trained osteopaths do not hold DO degrees, nor are they recognized as physicians.

The curriculum and coursework at MD- and DO-granting schools is virtually indistinguishable other than the addition of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), which is taught at DO-granting schools only. One OMM practice, cranial therapy, has received criticism regarding its efficacy and therapeutic value.

View the full Wikipedia page for Comparison of MD and DO in the United States

↑ Return to Menu