"In their report, the LCME examiners said that one of Stanford's greatest assets is its highly talented faculty, who show an "extraordinary" commitment to teaching. They also praised the school's flexible curriculum, diverse student body, preeminent research program, outstanding clinical facilities, visionary leadership and excellent student support services.
Their criticisms dealt in large part with deficiencies in physical facilities and in some specific areas of the curriculum. In particular, the examiners cited the inadequate space and lack of bathrooms and air conditioning in Lane Medical Library, as well as the "primitive" study carrels, the lack of space for teaching in small groups and the need for upgraded computer facilities. The library's inadequacies had been noted in previous LCME reviews in 1983 and 1991. "
"STANFORD: Medical school needs new facilities
School narrowly missed being put on probation last year
The medical researchers do breakthrough work that often makes headlines in science and medical journals, but the facilities they work in are tired, old and belong to a bygone era.
Things are bad enough at Stanford Medical School that last year the school came within one vote of being put on probation by a national accreditation agency. And even though a national magazine this year has ranked Stanford 10th nationally among medical schools, it is losing top students to competing schools, possibly because of its aging facilities.
Of the medical students Stanford approves for admission who are also accepted at Harvard or the University of California, San Francisco, only 4 percent choose Stanford instead of the school's top competitors.
Dr. Ken Melmon, chairman of the medical school's faculty body, outlined the poor state of affairs at the school recently to the university's Faculty Senate.
Melmon also disclosed that the school narrowly missed being put on probation last year by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits medical schools. The liaison committee instead accredited Stanford for the next seven years.
"Stanford is a fine medical school, and its graduates are splendid," said Dr. Robert Kassebaum, liaison secretary, in a recent letter to the school. "(But) no school of the standing and quality and affluence of Stanford has instructional facilities that bad."
The school has not been substantially upgraded since it was built in 1959. Among other things, it suffers from a cramped library with inadequate storage and study space."
I went to Stanford. The medical school is...not pretty.
