The Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine has set a goal to provide more physicians who have studied and conducted residency in the rural areas of Washington.

“A primary mission of land-grant institutions is to fill educational gaps that exist in their states and reach into communities with practical solutions to improve the quality of life of their citizens,” said Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Founding Dean John Tomkowiak for a Seattle Times article.

College officials met with the Senate Higher Education Committee in Olympia on Tuesday morning to update each other on the progress of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

Led by Ken Roberts, vice dean for academic and community partnerships at WSU, the update focused on the progress the medical school has made and what the administration is planning to do going forward.

Classes begin for the inaugural class of 60 students in August 2017, according Dr. Ken Roberts, vice dean for academic and community partnerships, in a presentation. Despite only considering admission for students from Washington state the college has received more than 700 applications and more than 340 interviews are planned, with 50 completed so far.

“We are working on focusing and developing a workforce in rural areas around the state where the low number of physicians makes itself present,” said James Zimmerman, vice dean of administration, accreditation, and finance.

A case-centered curriculum will be in place, and faculty will have medical experience and clerkship and will be recognized for their talent. Some faculty were appointed to Governor Jay Inslee’s Cancer Research Endowment Authority Board. According to the cancer board’s regulations, there have to be two members from UW and WSU.

With clinical sites on WSU campuses in Spokane, Everett, Vancouver and the Tri-Cities, and 19 signed clinical partnerships across the state, the college will train aspiring healthcare providers to “be successful in a challenging healthcare environment,” according to the presentation. They will place an emphasis on population health, the economics of healthcare and personalized medicine.

“WSU assessed the situation regarding the need to provide access to health care in challenging situations,” Tomkowiak said for the Seattle Times. “The university stepped up and worked with legislators to authorize the launch of a second public medical school for the state of Washington.”

The college submitted the 2016 fiscal year budget with approximately $105 million worth of grants and contracts and $19.5 million in new rewards, according to the presentation.

This will allow the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine to create a second medical school in Washington.

“There is a large number of students who want to practice in the state of Washington but couldn’t get into the University of Washington, which is the other medical school in the state,” Zimmerman said.

Many physicians clearly enjoy rural practice, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, but most physicians show little or no interest.

“Statistics show by graduating from and doing residency in a certain state, physicians will practice in that area,” Zimmerman said. “Increased odds of new physicians to stay and practice in (Washington) is a goal of the college.”