Foundation Phase (Year 1 & 2)

See also the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Foundations Phase page

Idaho WWAMI students begin their training at the University of Idaho, where they will complete the first 18 months of curriculum, also known as the Foundations Phase.

Key components of the Foundations Phase are:

1. An early immersion period with instruction in basic clinical skills ensures that students are ready to work with patients during the patient care portion of the Foundations Phase.
2. Basic science instruction is organized in short blocks of instruction with each block consisting of related, integrated topics. The blocks are organized to emphasize active and team-based learning content in cross-cutting scientific areas, such as pathology, anatomy and pharmacology.
3. A longitudinal clinical experience focused on clinical skills, primary care, chronic care and continuity of care.

Students spend a half-day each week out of the classroom working with physicians, faculty and other health professionals in patient care settings as well as completing special experiences like visiting labs, completing simulations, etc.

Threads

Certain core competency areas are woven throughout the curriculum - hence their name: threads.

Scientific threads include pharmacology, histology and pathology, and anatomy and embryology. Clinical threads include clinical experience and clinical skills.

The curriculum also covers themes (areas identified as important to integrate into the blocks, clinical threads and clerkships: primary care; population health, health equity and global health; diversity, communication and interprofessional education; professionalism and ethics; lifelong learning and scholarship).

Non-Clinical Electives

Non-clinical electives are courses relevant to medical education but not involving direct patient care. Non-clinical electives are offered within Foundations Phase intersessions and during other non-required blocks of time.

Examples:

• Spanish for the Health Professional teaches vocabulary and pronunciation of words to conduct an interview/patient history and perform a physical examination.
• Indian Health teaches how to use medical resources to solve clinical problems and understand how Native Americans utilize traditional Indian medicine for their health care.
• Alternative Approaches to Healing explores philosophies and practices of the major alternative approaches to healing accompanied by presentations by practitioners of chiropractic, naturopathic, homeopathic and traditional Chinese medicine.
• Wilderness Medicine provides didactic and field experience in medical emergencies and situations unique to rural and wilderness settings, including, but not limited to, patient assessment, extrication, trauma, burns, water rescue, hypo/hyperthermia, toxins and high-altitude.