WICHE and WYDENT Programs Help UW Grads Take Next Steps in Health Careers

For many students graduating with health care-focused degrees from the University of Wyoming, their pathways toward professional careers are only beginning. Being accepted into medical, dental and other professional schools is an anticipated next step, but it’s one that can come with many challenges.

For UW seniors pursuing health care careers, the Pre-Health Advising Office in the College of Health Sciences assists with those challenges. This spring, it has helped 17 new UW graduates gain acceptance into programs that will allow them to continue those pursuits -- and eventually return to Wyoming and practice as health care providers.

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) program is a consortium of 15 western U.S. states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. It was established to provide affordable educational opportunities for students in the West.

WICHE’s Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) allows certified Wyoming residents to enroll at reduced tuition rates in certain out-of-state professional programs, including allopathic medicine, dentistry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, occupational therapy, optometry, physical therapy, physician assistant and veterinary medicine.

WYDENT is a dental education contract program for certified Wyoming residents with the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry in Lincoln and Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha. Participants make a contract payment to UW for the four years of dental school, and the state of Wyoming pays the educational costs to the appropriate dental school for each student.

“The WYDENT and WICHE PSEP programs provide a wonderful opportunity for Wyoming residents to pursue careers in a broad range of health care professions while minimizing out-of-pocket costs,” says UW Provost and Executive Vice President Kevin Carman. “The Wyoming Legislature provides the funding to support these opportunities, and it does so with the recognition that incentivizing young Wyomingites to pursue careers in health care and practice in Wyoming is a win-win for young scholars and the state.”

UW’s Pre-Health Advising Office is the starting point for students considering careers in health care and where they can apply to either the WICHE or WYDENT programs for admission to professional schools, many times at a reduced cost.

“For both programs, potential students must submit an application demonstrating they meet the programs’ residency definitions,” says Craig Vaske, manager of the office. “This provides applicants with improved access to participating programs and the opportunity to receive financial support in return for committing to work in Wyoming for three years after completing their education.”

For Kennedy Ortega, from Gillette, the value of pursuing a career in health care through the UW WICHE program was made clear early in her undergraduate career, when she planned to become an occupational therapist and practice back home in Gillette.

“The WICHE program makes health care professions achievable and affordable,” Ortega says. “It is an incredible opportunity for those who wish to return to Wyoming. Take the time to apply, as it is an incredible opportunity for more affordable graduate options.”

Paige Asbell, of Jackson, points out the importance of the incentives in both the WICHE and PSEP programs for students to return and practice in their health care fields in Wyoming.

“After being born and raised in Wyoming and attending school at the University of Wyoming, I am aware of how lacking our resources for quality health care can be in the state,” Asbell says. “Though I am not certain on what specific area I want to practice in as a physician assistant, I am certain that I want to be a health care professional in the state of Wyoming. I would be happy to go anywhere in the state where I feel my interest and passion can be of best use and can provide services to the most amount of people in our state.”

The same holds true for Dallin Davidson, from Burlington, as he explains he has a family history of experience in the WYDENT program, from which he, too, is pursuing his goal of becoming a dentist.

Asked what he would tell a UW student interested in the WYDENT program, Davidson says, “The state of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming have partnered well to create some awesome opportunities for students looking to go into the field of health care with programs to help fund more than just dental school. But WYDENT is a huge blessing to anyone willing to put in the time and effort needed to get accepted into a WYDENT participating dental school and has afforded me an excellent opportunity to continue my education. For anyone pursuing a dental career, the WYDENT program would be the way to go.”

UW graduates committing this spring to contracts to return to Wyoming and practice as health care providers through WICHE or WYDENT, listed by hometown, name and chosen health career, are:

Burlington -- Dallin Davidson, dentistry.

Casper -- Kerissa Anderson, physical therapy.

Cheyenne -- Nathan Zastoupil, dentistry.

Cora -- Kaden Van Valkenburg, physical therapy.

Gillette -- Jordan Klaassen, medicine; Kinsley Larson, physical therapy; and Kennedy Ortega, occupational therapy.

Jackson -- Paige Asbell, physician assistant.

Laramie -- Kelcey Anderson, physical therapy, and Dillon Nye, physician assistant.

Rock Springs -- Chloe Garcia, dentistry; Jordan Goldman, osteopathic medicine; Cameron Metcalf, dentistry; Magen Rohrer, physical therapy; and Elle Thomas, medicine.

Sheridan -- Micall Davis, orthodontics.

Star Valley -- Jaxon Wilkes, physical therapy.

For those interested in learning more about the WICHE, PSEP and WYDENT programs through the College of Health Sciences Pre-Health Advising Office, visit www.uwyo.edu/preprof/.

About the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences

UW’s College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, speech-language pathology, social work, kinesiology, public health, health administration and disability studies. The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne, as well as operating a speech/hearing clinic in Laramie and primary care clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.

With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and frontier populations.