Spring is traditionally a very busy time of the year for the College of Medicine, and this year is no exception.
We are all eagerly looking forward to Match Day on March 21. Our fourth-year students will find out where they will do their residencies. We wish all our students good luck in the match and look forward to celebrating their success at the Match Day program.
We were disappointed that our accreditation review from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) resulted in our continuing accreditation but with “warning” status. More details on the LCME review are contained in this newsletter, and I hope you all take a few minutes to read it. Suffice it to say, we are taking the LCME summation very seriously.
Over the next few days, we have arranged four forums – two for faculty/staff and two for students – to discuss the accreditation findings and to get the input of the students and employees who are the lifeblood of the College of Medicine. I encourage all of you to attend one of these forums.
It is said that when something negative happens, you should always strive to turn it into a positive. That’s what we will do with this accreditation review.
I have no doubt that we will be able to correct our shortcomings so as to not only comply with but exceed LCME standards. I look at it as a growth opportunity for our college. We are going to emerge as a stronger institution through this process.
Finally, to conclude with positive news, I want to talk about the thrilling announcement that the clinical enterprise will be expanding its trauma services to become a 24/7 operation as of Aug. 1. In addition, The Nebraska Medical Center will initiate the steps to be named a Level 1 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons, something that is not possible with the current shared responsibility arrangement with Alegent Creighton Health.
We believe that this change will lead to a consistent availability of the highest quality trauma care daily for the Omaha metro area as well as the remainder of Nebraska and surrounding region. Currently, we are the only facility that has the breadth of medical specialists available daily to provide the expertise needed to provide state-of-the-art trauma care.
This also will prepare us to meet the needs of the patients currently served by Creighton University Medical Center when Alegent Creighton Health closes that facility in the next year or so. This will not only improve trauma care for Omaha, but it also is important to the College of Medicine. The diverse nature of trauma provides a fertile learning landscape for our students and residents, as well as providing a wide variety of research opportunities.
This challenge is a perfect example of how the medical center is constantly striving to improve and provide the best possible care for the people who need it most. It’s a landmark development in which we can all take pride.