Welcome
University of Idaho and
Washington State University are members of WWAMI, the University of Washington School of Medicines regional medical education program. WWAMI places special emphasis on meeting the healthcare needs of the Northwest, recognizing the importance of primary care and clinical research, and making public medical education accessible to residents in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
Currently, the combined UI and WSU program supports a class of 40 first-year medical students, sharing the resources of the two regional research universities in Moscow and Pullman. Classes, labs, and clinical experiences take place on both campuses and in both communities. Students benefit from the smaller class sizes, compared to a major medical center, and students find easy access to faculty and community preceptors outside of scheduled class times.
First Year Students
The first year medical curriculum is consistent throughout the WWAMI region, and students take common final exams across all sites. In addition to basic sciences course work, first year students begin seeing patients under the supervision of their medical preceptors within the first few weeks of school. Throughout the academic year, students also participate in Introduction to Clinical Medicine small group learning, where they develop their skills and comfort in medical interviewing and physical examinations of patients. Students “scrub in” during their first week, learn universal precautions and have the opportunity to complete suturing training early in the year. These skills assist students who are working with their preceptors in hospitals, clinics, or emergency settings throughout the year. Following the first year of course work, students have the opportunity to participate in a full month of clinical experience in a rural or underserved setting within the five state region. Some students combine these summer experiences with community or public health research, while others pursue summer research fellowships in Seattle at one of the UW medical centers.
Second Year Students
Currently, all WWAMI medical students complete their second year classes in Seattle at the University of Washington Medical Center. Courses are taught in a “system curriculum” in which each organ system is discussed from basic sciences and pathology to medicine and treatment. Learning is enriched through patient presentations and clinical correlates, from faculty who both teach and practice medicine. To continue their clinical skills training, all students participate in the College System, a unique program of mentoring and small group tutoring that takes students back to the bedside to learn and refine their skills in patient assessment and relationships, and in case presentation with their attending faculty.
Third and Fourth Year
For their clinical years, students may complete their required course work through a wide variety of training sites or tracks throughout the five states. All students are required to complete some of their training in Seattle and some of it regionally. This gives students a greater understanding of regional medical needs, as well as acquaints students with different specialties and practice settings as they make future career selections. Students with a strong commitment to rural medicine may apply for the WRITE program, an integrated primary care training track that allows students to live and train in a carefully selected rural community with excellent training opportunities during their third year of medical school. The Idaho Track offers any WWAMI student the opportunity to complete all of the third and fourth years of medical school in Idaho, through a carefully organized network of training sites that includes the Boise VA, area hospitals, residency programs, and private clinics.
Program Expansion
Currently, Idaho is engaged in a debate about the future of medical education and how best to address the physician workforce
needs of the state.
WWAMI believes that the best model for Idaho is an expanded WWAMI model, building class size and course offerings to provide all four years of medic
education in Idaho, under continued accreditation and partnership with UW School of Medicine, and through developing partnerships with other academic
institutions and healthcare providers in Idaho. The following links and documents help explore some of these issues in more depth:
