Board of Regents give medical school go-ahead

Washington State University’s Board of Regents made the decision to continue pushing for a medical school Thursday.

Ron Sims, a member of the board, said, “I believe having a medical school will mean that at least during my lifetime, fairness, justice, and access to healthcare is determinant.”

Sims is a doctor in King County and later went on to discuss how nearly half of the state’s physicians are located in the greater Seattle area.

Fifteen of Washington’s 39 counties average fewer than 10 physicians per every 10,000 residents, compared to the national average of 26 per 10,000, according to medicine.wsu.edu

The major issue at hand is rural areas do not possess the facilities or the expertise of physicians because there is such a shortage.

“It is critical we train doctors in those rural settings,” said Harold Cochran a member of the board.

The feasibility study conducted by MGT America stated, “A central premise is that new physicians should be trained in the types of environments in which they will practice.”

According to the study, by integrating students within the community it creates a higher quality of education as well as being more cost efficient.

“The decision to expand has come at the right time,” said Dean of Medical Sciences, Kenneth Roberts.

The Spokane campus has recently acquired a new biomedical sciences building, and already possesses the College of Nursing, along with their pharmaceutical sciences program.

WSU has been involved with educating first year medical students for nearly 40 years.

 “This year we have 40 first-year WWAMI students joining us on campus,” Ken Roberts stated in a press release in late August.

The WWAMI medical education programn (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) is a collaborative program accredited through the University of Washington’s school of medicine that allows for first-year and second-year medical education at WSU facilities.

The 2014 first year class is the largest in Spokane history, displaying a growth in their medical program.

The education model that WSU is pursuing will be different than the traditional style of the University of Washington.

“The two programs will not compete; our hope is to continue in the WWAMI program and ample collaboration is key,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd.

The final report of the feasibility study noted, “Preliminary accreditation could be earned in early 2016 with the charter class beginning fall 2017.”

There are many budgeting steps that must still take place, but the project will not seek capital expenditure, the board said.

Because of Spokane’s medical facilities that are already in place and the plan to integrate students into the community, the overall cost is much lower than if a new school was being built.

By carrying out this plan, Floyd said “Washington would produce more physicians and would be helping address our healthcare needs. Not only for our state but for our nation as well.”