Look for the UNLV School of Medicine to clear hurdles this week

This is an important week for the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

On Tuesday, officials will submit the school's self-study, an overview of all aspects of their programs and a key document in the effort to earn accreditation.

And as design work continues on temporary facilities the first students will use in fall 2017, the Board of Regents later this week will discuss possible sites for the school's permanent home.

The self-study is a structured review of all aspects of UNLV's proposed program, including what curriculum, resources, faculty and facilities will be needed. The document is an initial step in determining whether the proposed medical school meets standards for structure, function and performance.

Dr. Barbara Atkinson, dean of the planned medical school, said the 34-page executive summary of the self-study will be available to the public online after her team submits the document to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, or LCME. The U.S. Department of Education authorizes the independent LCME to accredit allopathic medical schools in the U.S. and Canada.

Medical school officials are not required to make public the documents submitted to receive accreditation, but Atkinson said she'll welcome any input.

"This is a public school, and people deserve to be able to see it," Atkinson said. "I'll be interested in people's comments and thoughts and ideas."

Even after submission the 475-page self-study can still be amended, Atkinson said.

"We will be modifying continuously," she said. "We have time to modify it between now and the site visit. We want to keep improving it as we go."

The site visit, which Atkinson hopes to schedule in the spring, is the next major step in the accreditation process. LCME officials were in Southern Nevada this month to consult with medical school faculty and department chairs, Atkinson said. They also gave her team feedback and suggestions on the self-study.

UNLV and Roseman University of Health Sciences both are seeking accreditation for planned medical schools. Each would have the capacity to teach 60 students each year, starting in 2017. Roseman officials submitted their self-study over the summer and should soon hear about a site visit, spokesman Jason Roth said. Roseman is hiring key faculty and administrators, solidify clinical partnerships and build the curriculum, he said.

Nevada's number of doctors per capita typically ranks near the bottom among states, and last week Gov. Brian Sandoval re-established a Graduate Education Task Force to help deal with the problem. Members will be appointed in coming days.

The Legislature in June approved Sandoval's $10 million plan to increase medical residency training in Nevada hospitals and clinics, which is considered critical in keeping new doctors from leaving the state after medical school. UNLV and Roseman officials expect those programs to be well-established by the time they produce their first graduates, in 2021.

Roseman's medical school will take over the Nevada Cancer Institute in Summerlin.

UNLV will launch classes at the Las Vegas Medical District and Veterans Affairs Southern Nevada Healthcare System facilities. Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects of Las Vegas is now working to add more interim facilities, including instructional space, a simulation center and a library, at the UNLV Dental School on Shadow Lane, near the University Medical Center.

"It will have an anatomy lab that will not have real cadavers but machines that are electronic anatomy tables," said Windom Kimsey, president and CEO of Tate Snyder Kimsey.

Anatomage technology lets students visualize 3-D male and female body contents and regional anatomy and offers a digital library with scores of pathological examples.

After the medical school moves to a permanent home the dental school will take over the improvements, sharing them with nursing programs from other schools.

"It isn't wasted money," she said. "The simulation center will be used by two nursing programs and our School of Medicine."

The Clark County-owned former Southern Nevada Health District building at 625 Shadow Lane, across the street from Valley Hospital and Medical Center, has been proposed as a permanent medical school site. Dr. Mark Doubrava, a Las Vegas ophthalmologist and member of the Board of Regents, said potential sites will be discussed by the board this week, but it's unlikely a decision will be made then.

Contact Steven Moore at smoore@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow him on Twitter: @steve_smoore_rj