Meeting in Washington, D.C., the LCME, the nationally recognized accrediting authority for education programs leading to the M.D. degree, voted to grant FSU’s medical school initial provisional accreditation based on the school’s second application.

The FSU College of Medicine welcomed an inaugural class of 30 students in May 2001, and a second class of 40 students in May of 2002.

“This is an exciting moment, not only for FSU, but also in the history of medical education,” said College of Medicine Dean Joseph E. Scherger. “As the first new medical school in a generation, we have an opportunity to build a 21st century program from the ground up, and gaining initial provisional accreditation signifies that we have laid a solid foundation.”

Accreditation means that national standards for structure, function and performance are met by a medical school's education program. Initial provisional accreditation is the first step toward full accreditation, which requires completion of a multiple-year process that includes several on-site surveys by members of the LCME.

All of the rights and privileges that apply to fully accredited medical schools, their graduates and their students also apply to the FSU College of Medicine under provisional accreditation status.

Provisional accreditation makes the school eligible for federal grants for medical education and makes students eligible for federal student loan programs and armed forces scholarships. It also entitles the medical school to membership in the Association of American Medical Colleges and participation in the American Medical College Application Service, a centralized system through which students can apply to multiple medical schools.

Students and graduates of LCME-accredited medical schools are eligible to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination, and students are eligible for membership in the American Medical Association’s student section. Graduates are eligible to enter residencies approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Graduating from an LCME-accredited U.S. school and passing the national licensing examinations are accepted as prerequisites for medical licensure in most states.

Based in Tallahassee, the FSU College of Medicine has established regional medical school campuses for the clinical education of third- and fourth-year students in Orlando, Pensacola and Tallahassee and plans to establish future campuses in Jacksonville, Sarasota and Ft. Myers.

The Florida Legislature created the medical school in 2000 and charged it with educating physicians to serve the state’s rural, geriatric and other medically underserved populations. In addition to focusing on this mission, FSU’s medical school is fast becoming a leading innovator in medical education, particularly in the use of medical information technology in clinical training. For more information, go to http://med.fsu.edu.