Rather than defund a program that is working well, we need to bolster residency programs for aspiring physicians across Idaho, writes guest columnist Maureen Ferguson. (Getty Images)
I was born and raised in Grangeville, Idaho, and decided I wanted to be a doctor — specifically a rural family doctor in Idaho — after my brother suffered a traumatic brain injury.
I was able to realize that goal because of Idaho’s WWAMI program, a medical education partnership between the University of Washington School of Medicine and the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
Today, I am shocked that our state Legislature is considering House Bill 176, a bill to defund Idaho WWAMI. This program was created 53 years ago to increase the number of physicians in Idaho and the state has benefited greatly. The WWAMI program has an incredible return for Idaho with 73% of WWAMI students returning to practice here. (The average nationally is closer to 50%.)
WWAMI has a vital role in the health care infrastructure of the state of Idaho
Ask any WWAMI graduate and we will emphatically tell you what a great program this is for training and supporting the health care needs of our state.
Ask any patient who is cared for by a WWAMI physician and they will share with you the high-quality care they receive and the benefits of having a physician with a broad network of other WWAMI physicians and educators.
I am certain my training in WWAMI made me a better doctor with a greater breadth of knowledge because I worked in a variety of settings including rural communities and large tertiary care centers in various states. It also prepared me for my family medicine residency in Idaho. Graduating from University of Washington, a nationally respected medical school, allowed WWAMI students like me to apply — and be accepted — to highly competitive residency programs with the excellent employment opportunities that follow.
The highlight of my WWAMI experience was a six-month rural rotation in McCall. Not only did I develop skills and recognize the broad training I needed to practice in a rural area, but I formed long lasting relationships which ultimately influenced my desire to return to practice medicine there. After I completed an OB fellowship, I was thrilled to become a McCall doctor. For more than a decade, my WWAMI medical school mentors have been my colleagues as I practice obstetrics, inpatient and outpatient medicine.
My gratitude to the Idaho WWAMI program and taxpayers of Idaho is immense and greatly drove my desire to practice my home state. Almost 10 years ago, I became the WWAMI director and preceptor in McCall for the same rural program that I benefited from as a student. I, like so many other WWAMI instructors and clinical attending physicians, am committed to this program and giving students the same level of education, support and guidance I received.
When I was accepted to WWAMI, I was one of 20. Today, the program supports 40 new medical students per year. The program has doubled in the last 10 years while still maintaining the values and quality teaching of the program and is committed to continued expansion. Rather than defund a program that is working well for our state, we need to focus on bolstering residency programs for aspiring doctors across Idaho.
If House Bill 176 goes through, it would sever a partnership that is vital to our state and the health care of our residents. The network of WWAMI physicians in Idaho runs deep and wide. This program took decades to create and fine tune is doing exactly what Idaho needs — providing us competent physicians motivated to continue to work for Idaho residents. Please don’t abandon a program that has worked in favor of a new, untested model.
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