• (1) Black binder: Answers to database questions (Sections I-V)
  

  Database questions are grouped by major subject headings corresponding to the five sections of LCME accreditation standards. Each database section is stored as an individual file and should be submitted as a separate file. Each question is preceded by the relevant LCME accreditation standard, for reference. Use as much space as necessary to provide complete responses to all questions. Responses are not limited to the space provided after each question. Do not answer by referring to or providing catalogs, directories, appendices, reports, or other sources of information except as specifically requested in the database. Supplementary materials should be placed in the Appendix (red binder). The URL for very large documents can be included and hard copies of these documents can be made available for the survey team on site. The copy of the Appendix sent to the LCME Secretariat offices should include a complete set of all documents.
  

• (1) Red binder: Appendix of supporting documents
  
  Any supporting documents requested (e.g., organizational charts, graphs showing USMLE performance, faculty promotion policy documents) should be numbered sequentially by database section and compiled in the appropriate tabbed sections. The appendix materials should be referred to by section and number (e.g., Section II, Appendix 5) in the responses to the database question(s). Include a table of contents for each of the five sections of the Appendix.
  
  
• (1) Green binder: Required courses and clerkship rotations
  
  Complete the summary tables (Part A) on course/clerkship rotation teaching and assessment methods. For each required course in the curriculum, include either the Required Course form or the Required Clerkship Rotation form. Insert the forms sequentially by the year in the curriculum in which the course or clerkship is offered (behind the provided tabs labeled Year One, Year Two, etc.). Use the curriculum schematic as the guide to the order of courses; the curriculum schematic should be provided in the response to standard ED-5. In most cases, curriculum years correspond to the blocks of time that end with students being considered for promotion or graduation. Schools that offer a formal decelerated curriculum operating on a different time schedule (e.g., five years) from the regular curriculum should organize the required courses and clerkship rotations according to their regular (not decelerated) academic schedule. Schools that offer medical education programs of more than four years should modify the database and course or clerkship rotation forms accordingly.
  
  
• (1) Blue binder: Independent student analysis and AAMC GQ or AAMC CGQ results
  
  The independent student analysis should be prepared using the guidelines described in the LCME publication The Role of Students in the Accreditation of Medical Education Programs in the US and Canada. The independent student analysis should consist of a narrative summary of student survey data that has been prepared by the students themselves. Also include tables and figures with the results for each question in the student survey. Please include the overall response rates to the entire student survey for each class year. Include the most recent results from the AAMC Medical School Graduation Questionnaire (AAMC GQ).
  
  
• (1) Yellow binder: Institutional self-study summary
  
  The institutional self-study should be prepared according to the LCME publication Guide to the Institutional Self-Study. An institutional self-study report (no more than 30 single-spaced pages in length) should be provided in the yellow binder. This document is a synthesis of the individual self-study committee reports and should include a section that contains the school’s summary assessment of institutional strengths, challenges, and areas in need of attention. The full reports of each self-study committee should not be included, but should be made available in the survey team’s home room during the survey visit and made available electronically if requested by the survey team. In the yellow binder also include a list of the members of each self-study committee.
  
  
• One copy of the current medical school catalog or bulletin (if available in paper copy)
  
  
• A map of the city or region, marked with location of the medical school and principal teaching hospitals
  
  
• A campus guide, if relevant

VIII. Instructions for Assembling the Final Database Sets
All material should be printed on one side of the page only. Please do not use heavy stock paper in printing the database. Use the sample set as a guide for assembly. Inserted material (e.g., organizational charts, policy documents) should be numbered and compiled in the red Appendix binder behind the appropriate section tabs.

Please use the binder covers provided. (Three-ring binders will not fit in LCME file cabinets.) Do not have the database sets permanently bound; the LCME/CACMS Secretariats and the survey team members need to be able to easily remove pages. Do not use heavy stock paper for printing the database.

Please limit material. The required database materials are voluminous. Please do not add supplementary material that has not been requested, unless it is essential to respond to a given question. Long-range planning documents, faculty bibliographies, detailed descriptions and histories of clinical and research programs, etc., can be provided on site for survey team review.

NOTE: The Secretariat is required to maintain complete print records of the database information. If Web site URLs are included in the database in lieu of documents, please include printed copies of those documents in the databases sent to the LCME Secretariat. The URLs alone will suffice for the copies sent to survey team members as long as they can obtain access to the documents through the URL. If printed copies of a particular URL are especially voluminous, include only the table of contents and those pages that directly support the school’s responses to the database questions. LCME Secretariat staff can provide guidance in this area.

IX. Updating the Database Prior to Submission
It is essential that the database used by the survey team provide an up-to-date picture of the medical education program. Because the original database may have been compiled for the institutional self-study a year or more prior to the date of the survey visit, be sure to update key sections of the database before mailing it to survey team members and the LCME/CACMS Secretariat offices. Updated pages should reflect the appropriate academic year at the top of the page. Among the key items likely to require updating are the following:

X. Summary Tips for Preparing the Database

• Test the USB flash drives that you submit to ensure that they are functioning properly.
  
  
• The database sections are posted as individual documents and are grouped by sections corresponding to the sections of the accreditation standards. The person responsible for coordinating assembly of the database may wish to distribute only specific sections or individual pages to various staff for completion.
  
  
• Provide concise, but complete responses to each database question. Do not answer by referring to or providing catalogs, directories, appendices, reports, or other sources of information, except as specifically requested in the database.
  
  
• Responses are not limited to the space provided after each question; use as much space as necessary to respond completely to the question.
  
  
• All answers must be typed using the Times New Roman 11 point font. If your word processing system does not recognize this font, it may convert to a similar font. This may cause slight alterations in the formatting of the documents, particularly the tables.
  
  
• Many database questions contain references to items in other sections of the database. These cross-references are included so that the self-study groups at the school and the members of the survey team can quickly identify all of the data relevant for each accreditation standard. There is no need to duplicate information; simply refer to the relevant answers to other standards. The cross-references should also facilitate internally consistent reporting of information; for example, one item may refer to the faculty numbers by department, with a cross-reference to total numbers of faculty in a different item. In such cases, the school should verify that the total equals the sum of the individual department tallies.
  
  
• In some cases, there are questions that refer to more than one standard. These standards are grouped together. Answer the questions as indicated.
  
  
• The database documents are formatted with a header to indicate the “base year” of information compiled for the self-study. Fill in the academic year corresponding to the information reported in the database (referred to as “the most recently completed academic year” in many of the individual database questions). When information is updated subsequent to the completion of the self-study, change the academic year in the header to reflect the academic year of the updated information. Caution: Changing a header on a single page may change it globally throughout the entire database document. The LCME suggests that changes be stored in a separate computer file before headers are updated.

XI. Questions?

Questions regarding the submission of accreditation materials should be directed to LCME administrative staff via email at lcmeadmin@aamc.org.

Questions regarding the completion of the Medical Education Database should be directed to the LCME Secretariat via email at lcmesecretariat@aamc.org.

For help with word processing, layout, or compatibility problems, please contact Marina Ramos, Program Manager, AMA (312-464-4662 or marina.ramos@ama-assn.org).