Comparison of accreditation practices and standards of US schools of medicine and veterinary medicine.

There are 126 medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States, and 16 in Canada, that are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). This article summarizes the current policies and procedures used by the LCME and traces their historical development. The external factors that have acted to influence accreditation in the United States, such as recognition of accreditation agencies by the US Department of Education, are then described. Finally, comparisons are drawn between the accreditation systems for medical education and veterinary medical education programs.