FIU Wertheim College of Medicine receives provisional accreditation


The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) has granted provisional accreditation to Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

“Provisional accreditation means that our college meets national standards for structure, function and performance,” said Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Dean John Rock. “It also is recognition of the tremendous work our faculty and staff, along with our clinical and community partners, have done in building our successful new medical school.”

All medical schools must complete five steps to become fully accredited by the LCME. By receiving provisional accreditation, the FIU College of Medicine has achieved four of those steps. A site visit will take place in October 2012 and a final decision on full accreditation will be made when the LCME meets in February 2013. The College of Medicine has undergone the accreditation process in the fastest time allowed.

The FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine welcomed its first 43 students in August 2009 and a second class of 43 in 2010. For those students already enrolled in the medical program, provisional accreditation allows them to continue their third and fourth years of medical studies.

In 2006, the Florida Board of Governors authorized the creation of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. The college was established in response to a recommendation from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in the mid-1990s. The AAMC recommended expansion of a number of existing medical schools and creation of new medical schools to meet increasing demand created by growth of the U.S. population at a time when the physician population is aging and retiring.

“In the United States, there is a great need for the next generation of physicians to be socially conscious, community based and expertly trained,” Rock said. “That is precisely the mission of the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.”

The FIU College of Medicine has an innovative approach to medical education. At the heart of the curriculum is the Green Family NeighborhoodHELP™, an integrated inter-disciplinary approach to health care. Starting in their second year, medical students work with students in other disciplines, including nursing, social work, public health, law and business, to assess needs and provide assistance to medically underserved families.

The College of Medicine is about to welcome its third and largest class. Nearly four thousand applications were received, and 80 students were accepted, the majority of whom are graduates of Florida universities.