Program Overview
Wyoming WWAMI offers a four-year Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree program where students receive their medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine, a nationally recognized institution ranked among the top medical schools in the U.S. for primary care and rural medicine. The program is tailored specifically to meet Wyoming’s unique healthcare needs, particularly addressing the challenges posed by its rural and frontier population, which experiences significant medical underservice and an aging demographic.
Each year, 20 Wyoming residents are admitted to the program, allowing for a small cohort that benefits from a favorable student-to-faculty ratio and personalized attention during their foundational medical education. The first 18 months of medical school-the Foundations Phase-are completed at the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie. This phase covers core biomedical sciences and clinical skills, following a curriculum identical to that of other WWAMI sites to maintain consistency and academic rigor.
Following the Foundations Phase, students transition to clinical training, which spans approximately two and a half years. Clinical rotations occur across a broad network of hospitals and clinics throughout the WWAMI region, including sites in Wyoming and the other partner states. These rotations expose students to diverse medical environments, from rural and underserved communities to urban and specialized care centers, providing a comprehensive clinical education.
Explore CurriculumProgram Goals & Impact
The Wyoming WWAMI program has several key objectives:
- Expand access to affordable, high-quality public medical education for Wyoming residents. By partnering with UWSOM, Wyoming offers in-state tuition rates and reduces the financial barriers to medical education.
- Increase the number of physicians practicing in Wyoming, especially in rural and underserved areas. Approximately 70% of Wyoming WWAMI graduates return to practice in the state, helping to alleviate physician shortages and improve healthcare access in medically underserved regions.
- Support and encourage talented Wyoming students to pursue careers in medicine, particularly primary care and rural health. The program emphasizes community-based education and fosters connections between students and local healthcare providers, enhancing the likelihood graduates will serve Wyoming communities.
- Provide a cost-effective medical education model through regional collaboration. By leveraging existing university facilities and clinical sites across five states, WWAMI avoids the high costs of establishing a standalone medical school in Wyoming while maintaining high educational standards.
Unique Features and Opportunities
Wyoming WWAMI offers several distinctive programs and tracks that enrich the educational experience and align with the state’s healthcare needs:
- Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP): A four-week elective between the first and second years where students work with physicians serving underserved populations within the WWAMI region. This early exposure helps students understand rural healthcare challenges and consider related specialties.
- Targeted Rural Underserved Track (TRUST): This track matches qualified students to specific underserved communities in Wyoming or the WWAMI region, allowing them to build strong ties and receive tailored training focused on rural medicine.
- WRITE Program: A primary care teaching clerkship that expands clinical training sites, providing students with hands-on experience in community-based settings.
- WWAMI Track Program: Allows students to focus their clinical rotations in a particular city or area within the WWAMI region, fostering deeper community engagement and continuity of care experiences.
