ISA Results Summary

Independent Student Analysis (ISA) Results

In Spring 2025, students at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) completed the Independent Student Analysis (ISA) in preparation for the 2026–2027 LCME accreditation review. The ISA is a student-led, LCME-required survey that captures the student body’s assessment of strengths and opportunities across the school of medicine. A student committee with representation from the M1–M3 classes developed the survey process, coordinated data collection, analyzed results, and authored the report independently.

Response Rates

VTCSOM achieved a 91% overall response rate, with each class meeting or exceeding the LCME 70% benchmark (M1: 94%, M2: 88%, M3: 89%, M4: 93%).

ISA Strengths

Office of Student Affairs (OSA)

• Consistently high agreement for accessibility and responsiveness across classes.

Pre-Clinical Education

• Well-structured and supported; students reported strong alignment between learning objectives and instruction, high-quality formative feedback, and sufficient practice in self-directed learning.

Clinical Education

• Educationally rich clerkship experiences with very high ratings for patient access, supervision, and teaching quality.

Library and Technology Support

• Exceptionally high marks for library access, IT support, and availability of digital and print resources.

Strong Recommendations

Mistreatment and Professionalism

• Learning environment ratings were positive overall, but some cohorts rated items lower. Informed by strong comment themes, we think the following actions would improve perceptions in this area:
  • Continue enhancements to the Harmonized Milestones
  • Strengthen professionalism and accountability expectations
  • Improve student awareness of the complaint review process

Access to Mental Health Counseling

• The absence of a dedicated on-site counselor in 2024–25 had a negative impact on item ratings. This has been rectified for 2025–26 with the addition of a new counselor. Additional recommended actions include establishing contingency plans to prevent future lapses and improving communication about services and confidentiality in both Phase 1 and Phases 2/3.

Career/Elective Advising

• As indicated by the item ratings and student comments, career and elective advising would be enhanced by expanding access to knowledgeable, specialty-specific mentors and providing structured, actionable guidance.

Clerkship Grading

• Data suggest that there is some confusion/dissatisfaction regarding clerkship grading. Recommended improvements include increasing grading transparency (clear weighting of clinical evaluations, NBME scores, and other components) and enhancing mid-block feedback across clerkships.

Office of Medical Education

• Disagreement ratings were low for the items pertaining to the Office of Medical Education (OME). However, there were unusually high rates of “Not Applicable.” This may be due to confusion around the item wording, i.e., the use of Office of Medical Education vs Office of Educational Affairs. Nonetheless, improving awareness at orientation sessions and throughout the year is recommended, with particular focus on who constitutes membership and how they can be contacted.

Next Steps

• We shared the ISA report with school leadership in June 2025, including data analysis and associated recommendations. In collaboration with Educational Affairs, the ISA team will host an Open Forum for all students to discuss ISA results, LCME accreditation processes, action plans already underway, improvements made following focus group sessions, and the timing/process for a streamlined re-survey in winter 2026.
  
  Open Forum Details
  October 28, 2025, 5:30-6:30 pm, M203, pizza provided
  
  
• Ahead of the winter 2026 re-survey, we will revisit progress with administration and provide class-level updates in small-group meetings after winter break.

Acknowledgement

We appreciate all our peers who participated in the ISA survey and have shared their honest feedback on their medical school experience. Your candor is vital to making programmatic and systemic changes that improve VTCSOM. Thank you for your partnership as we move through the re-accreditation process.

Best,

Adam, Alex, Jordan, ISA Co-Chairs