Medical schools that are accredited teach and train future medical professionals, usually doctors. These schools have been certified an organization that ensures that they provide high-quality education. Accreditation is often handled a variety of agencies and committees in different countries, which can include both government and private organizations. Although the curriculum of a school, as well as admission procedures and staff at a school, are commonly considered, the standards used for certification can vary from one country to the next. Accredited schools are commonly thought of as required places of training for doctors and other medical professionals, as they ensure that graduates receive a standardized level of education.
Accredited medical schools exist to ensure that doctors receive adequate training prior to receiving a medical degree. Prior to the establishment of accrediting standards and organizations, schools could set up any type of training system they wanted and award medical degrees to graduates who may have been undertrained. Accrediting organizations were formed to stop these practices evaluating schools and certifying only those that met certain criteria. While non-accredited schools can still award degrees, most hospitals and professional organizations prefer to hire or accept members who have attended accredited schools.
Accreditation procedures vary country, but the overall approach is frequently the same. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in the United States, for example, maintains a list of accredited schools that people interested in pursuing a medical degree should visit. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) evaluates these schools looking at the admissions procedures for students, the curriculum taught in various classes, class testing methods, and the medical school’s staff and faculty. When the LCME approves a school’s accreditation, the AAMC adds it to its list; similarly, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) keeps track of accredited schools with osteopathic medical programs.
Accreditation is handled various organizations in various countries, and some governments can also approve medical schools from other countries. The National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) of the US federal government, for example, reviews accredited medical schools in other countries to determine how degrees from those schools should be considered American medical associations and hospitals. This allows a doctor with a degree from a country other than the United States to work in the United States if the degree was obtained from an appropriate school. Accrediting associations usually provide lists of accredited schools for prospective students.