WWAMI Regional Medical Education Program

Created in 1971, the WWAMI Regional Medical Education Program (often merely referred to as "WWAMI", pronounced "whammy") is a partnership between four western states that lack medical schools, and the state of Washington, along with the University of Washington School of Medicine. The four western states that partner with the state of Washington are Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, hence WWAMI.

Background

In 1970, prompted by the shortage of primary care physicians that have historically affected rural areas, the University of Washington School of Medicine created a four-state (later five-state, with the inclusion of Wyoming in 1996) community-based program with the goal of increasing the number of general physicians throughout the United States Northwest. WWAMI was created as a regional medical education program for neighboring states that lacked their own medical schools, while also encouraging physicians-in-training to eventually stay and practice in the region,[1] as the amount of time students spend in a given state is thought to increase their likelihood of practicing there after graduation.[2] The program is largely considered a success, and serves as a model for comprehensive regional medical education.[1]

Program

The program has five stated goals:[3]

  1. Provide publicly supported medical education
  2. Increase the number of primary-care physicians and correct the maldistribution of physicians
  3. Provide community-based medical education
  4. Expand graduate medical education and continuing medical education
  5. Provide all of these in a cost-effective manner

The program model uses existing state universities in the five states for the first year of medical education. In the second year, students attend the University of Washington Seattle campus. For the third and fourth years of clinical education, sites across the five states are used. There are over 3,000 individual physicians affiliated with WWAMI that are available for the required and elective clerkships.[2]

The program provides in-state tuition rates for all parts of the program, dramatically reducing educational costs.[4] Each state subsidizes tuition for their students. With only a limited number of spots available, admission is competitive.[3][5]

Participating Schools

The following schools participate in the WWAMI program:[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ramsey, MD, Paul G.; Coombs, John B. MD; Hunt, D. Daniel MD; Marshall, Susan G. MD; Wenrich, Marjorie D. MPH (August 2001). "From Concept to Culture: The WWAMI Program at the University of Washington School of Medicine". Academic Medicine 76 (8): 765–775. doi:10.1097/00001888-200108000-00006. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Norris, MD, Tom E.; John B. Coombs, MD, Peter House, MHA, Sylvia Moore, PhD, RD, Marjorie D. Wenrich, MPH, and Paul G. Ramsey, MD (October 2006). "Regional Solutions to the Physician Workforce Shortage: The WWAMI Experience". Academic Medicine 81 (10): 857–862. doi:10.1097/01.acm.0000238105.96684.2f.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "WWAMI: Idaho's Medical School". State Impact Idaho. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Saunders Ritter, Emilie (2013-01-07). "Gov. Otter Advocates For Expanding Idaho’s Medical Education Opportunities". State Impact. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Dennison, Mike (2013-01-02). "Health issues, expansion of Medicaid sure to spark partisan battle". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  6. ↑ Voelker, Rebecca (23 July 2003). "Medical Students Reach Out to Rural Communities in "WWAMI Land"". Academic Innovations 290 (4): 452. doi:10.1001/jama.290.4.452. Retrieved 20 January 2013.

External links