WWAMI - Our Regional Training Program
- The WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) states make up 27% of the land mass of the United States but contain only 3.3% of the population.
- UW School of Medicine is the only medical school for the 5-state WWAMI region, and the only 5-state medical school in the country.
- UW is nationally recognized for its excellent regional training program.
- Students from Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho complete their first year medical school curriculum in small learning groups in their respective home states.
- Students from Washington attend one of three locations their first year, Pullman, Seattle or Spokane so can also have the benefit of small group learning by selecting Pullman or Spokane as their first year site.
- Regional Clerkship Sites: The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) prides itself on the depth and breadth of excellent clinical educational opportunities available throughout all of the five states that comprise our WWAMI medical education program. The regional nature of our medical school allows our students to experience the entire gamut of medical care, both rural and urban, including private practice, community health care centers, community hospitals, and tertiary care hospitals.
Students are expected to spend 24 weeks of their third-year required clerkships outside of a 50-mile radius from Seattle. Applicants will be made aware of this policy at the time of application to the UWSOM and, as part of the application process, will be asked to sign a statement demonstrating their understanding of this policy. Once enrolled, students will be further reminded of this policy when they are planning and submitting requests for their third-year required clerkship schedules. Exceptions to this policy are granted rarely.
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UW School of Medicine Scope of Training
The
UW School of Medicine provides opportunities for
training with providers in all types of medical care settings.
- Tertiary care- University of Washington Medical Center; Seattle Children’s Hospital; VA Puget Sound Health Care System; Harborview Medical Center (level 1 trauma center)
- Affiliated Community Hospitals
- Community Health Care Centers (urban and rural)
- Private Practices (urban and rural)
- International Health Clinics (local and abroad)
- Indian Health Service Clinics
A distinguishing characteristic of the University of Washington Medical School is interdisciplinary collaboration. Scientists, educators, and clinicians are dedicated to helping each other reach the common goals of improving people’s health and alleviating suffering from disease.
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Multiple Missions
Unlike some schools with a single mission to train only future scientists or only community physicians, the variety of our missions results in our selecting students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse future interests.
UW School of Medicine mission statement.
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Snow World, developed by an interdisciplinary team at UW, is a virtual reality technique that has been proven to reduce pain during treatment of severe burns. Dr. Hoffman, one of the developers noted: "The low fences between departments at the UW encourages interdisciplinary research."
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Excellence in Diverse Missions
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Research
- Since 1974 UW School of Medicine has ranked consistently among the top 3 schools in receipt of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding.
- UW is currently ranked tenth in the country among research-oriented medical schools.
- A number of established and start-up biotechnology companies, including Zymogenetics and ICOS, have their roots in UW School of Medicine research.
- MD/PhD Program (MSTP) The Medical Scientist Training Program is designed for highly qualified candidates who wish to obtain both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and to pursue careers in basic medical research.
- PhD Program The School of Medicine provides advanced scientific training toward Ph.D. degrees in biomedical research in a resource-rich, collaborative environment dedicated to scientific discovery.
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Opportunities for Primary Care and Rural Education
Clinical experiences are available at 60 sites for required clerkships in addition to 120 R/UOP sites and 15 WRITE sites. TRACKs are also available to allow students to spend an entire year in one WWAMI state.
- R/UOP: Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program, a four-week, elective immersion experience in community medicine for students between their first and second years of medical school.
- WRITE: WWAMI Rural Integrated Training Experience, a 20-week rural clinical medical training experience for a pre-selected group of third-year medical students.
- TRACK: WWAMI State Track Program, allows a select group of students to complete most of the required clerkships scheduled in one specific site/state throughout the WWAMI region during their third or fourth year of medical school.
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TRUST (Targeted Rural Underserved Track) Programs
The
TRUST program is available in Montana, Washington and Idaho and is an integrated program for students interested in rural or underserved medicine. Beginning the summer before medical school and continuing throughout the curriculum, TRUST scholars participate in clinical and classroom experiences, on-line discussions, and regional or national conferences, exposing them to the satisfaction, challenges, and life style of a physician practicing in rural and underserved areas.
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Colleges
The UW School of Medicine has undergone many innovative changes over the past 40 years. Nine years ago a
College system was incorporated to provide consistent mentoring in clinical skills, professionalism, and patient-centered care. The
College structure helps make a large university intimate.
- 6 colleges
- 6-7 faculty mentors in each college
- 6-7 students per year for each faculty mentor
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Pathways
| Medical students can select one or more of 4 pathways to develop knowledge and skills specifically tailored to working with vulnerable populations here and abroad. Each Pathway allows students to organize their courses, clinical rotations, and volunteer opportunities around a particular community, population, or aspect of underserved medicine with mentorship from faculty, staff, and community providers and partners who share those interests. |
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Global Health
Uniquely based in both the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health, the Department of Global Health has one of the most comprehensive academic global health programs in the world. In addition to the
Global Health Pathway,
GHIP (formerly known as IHOP) and the
GHRC-Elective Clerkship Abroad (ECA), medical students have a long list of global health courses to choose from, are invited to participate in the monthly Global Health Journal Club, are invited to attend Department of Global Health lectures and Washington Global Health Alliance Discovery Series lectures, as well as other
special events and conferences.
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Interdisciplinary Students
The UW also has professional degree-granting programs for
Physician Assistants,
Nurses,
Pharmacists,
Dentists,
Physical Therapists and
Occupational Therapists,
Medical Technologists, and
Epidemiologists. Some classes and volunteer service-learning opportunities include students from more than one discipline.
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