University of Washington School of Medicine
http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/academic/school_medicine.html
School Overview
Dean
Paul G. Ramsey
C314 Health Sciences
Established in 1946, the School of Medicine is the only medical school directly serving the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI). Located in the Warren G. Magnuson Health Sciences Center, the School operates a decentralized program of medical education (WWAMI) via a regional network of teaching affiliates.
The School's basic-science departments provide educational opportunities for students from all schools and colleges within the University. Clinical teaching programs are conducted at the University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children's, and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, as well as at other clinical affiliates in Seattle and throughout the WWAMI states.
The School admits approximately 210 medical students to its first-year class and has a total enrollment of over 800 students pursuing the Doctor of Medicine degree. The full-time faculty numbers approximately 1,700 members. The affiliated University residency-training network enrolls approximately 900 house officers. Enrollment in the graduate programs in the basic sciences exceeds 500 students, and approximately 800 postdoctoral fellows are enrolled in various advanced training programs. The School has baccalaureate and graduate programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, and medical technology. The School participates in training a broad spectrum of other allied health professionals. The School is also home for the Physician Assistant Training Program known as MEDEX.
WWAMI Program
The WWAMI program was initiated in 1971 as an effort to decentralize medical education, provide a broader range of educational opportunities for students, and address the need for primary-care physicians oriented toward rural practice. It is an integral part of the undergraduate medical curriculum and is a fully accredited program of the School of Medicine. The WWAMI program is named for the five states (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) that share resources and responsibilities in the regional educational program. Funds appropriated to the WWAMI program by the Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho legislatures assure each state of positions for its students in the entering medical class each year.
First-Year Training
In the first year of the WWAMI program, approximately 40 percent of the students admitted to the University's School of Medicine receive their first year of medical school training at Washington State University, the University of Wyoming, the University of Alaska, Montana State University, or the University of Idaho. Washington State University positions not filled by volunteers are assigned by lottery. Every Washington-resident applicant should recognize the opportunity of assignment to Washington State University during the first year. Students from Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho attend their home-state institutions. While at these institutions, they enroll in prescribed one-year medical school basic-science courses taught by on-site science faculty and are provided supplemental resources from the University of Washington's School of Medicine faculty. These students join their classmates at the UW's campus in Seattle for their second year of medical studies.
Third- and Fourth-Year Training
At the conclusion of the second year, students enter the portion of the curriculum that is predominantly clinical. Required, selective, and elective clerkships are described below. As part of clinical training, students complete clerkships at the UW, at its affiliated hospitals, or at community clinical units located in the five-state region. During third- and fourth-year clerkships, School of Medicine full-time and clinical faculty members provide supervised clinical training in required as well as elective clerkships through the WWAMI region.