Unit Policy
Title
Offices of Medical Student Education: Policy on Amendment of Educational Policies
Introduction
Purpose
This Policy outlines the process and authority to amend Educational Policies.
Scope
This Policy applies to Deans within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“University”) School of Medicine’s (SOM) Offices of Medical Student Education (OMSE).
Policy
Policy Statement
The SOM is committed to ensuring that its Educational Policies remain up-to-date and aligned with relevant best practices and accreditation standards. In furtherance of this commitment, the SOM has delegated authority and established the following process for amending its Educational Policies:
Amendment Initiation
Amendments to an Educational Policy may be initiated by only the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education, Associate Dean of Admissions, Associate Dean of Curricular Affairs, or Associate Dean of Student Affairs. Amendments may be initiated in consultation with, or as a result of suggestions from, Interested Groups or Individuals whether such groups or individuals are internal (i.e., members of the Offices of Admissions, Curricular Affairs, and Student Affairs) or external (i.e., members of campus and site leadership teams) to the OMSE. Amendments may also be initiated based on findings or recommendations from the Office of Educational Effectiveness or the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Committee, including data from CQI Committee processes, Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Element Reviews, educational outcomes analysis, or stakeholder feedback.
Amendment Research/Development, Review, and Approval
The Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education is responsible for appointing or assembling appropriate groups, as necessary, to research and develop an Amendment after it has been initiated. The appointed groups and/or staff develop proposed Amendments after conducting research and gathering input from relevant from relevant SOM stakeholders.
After conducting research and development, the appointed groups and/or staff submit proposed Amendments to the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education. The Senior Associate Dean for Medical Student Education is responsible for forwarding the proposed Amendments to the Education Committee for its review and approval.
Definitions
Amendment: A formal change or update to an existing Educational Policy initiated through the process outlined in this Policy.
Educational Policies: OMSE policies that govern the design, delivery, assessment, and oversight of the Medical Doctorate (MD) degree program.
Interested Groups/Individuals: Any individuals or organized bodies within the MD degree program who are affected by, responsible for implementing, or have a demonstrated stake in the outcomes of a given policy, and, therefore, may propose revisions.
Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Element Review: A structured evaluation of a specific accreditation element defined by the LCME to determine the MD degree program's level of compliance.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): A structured, data-informed process for evaluating and enhancing educational effectiveness, curricular quality, and compliance with accreditation standards.
Office of Educational Effectiveness: A sub-office within the OMSE responsible for evaluating educational outcomes, supporting CQI processes, and ensuring alignment with accreditation standards and LCME expectations.
LCME Readiness Milestones: Key dates and deliverables aligned with the LCME accreditation cycle, including self-study phases, Data Collection Instrument (DCI) submission, and site visit preparation.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Mary Hauser, Senior Director of Curricular Affairs
Email: mary_hauser@med.unc.edu