If there is one thing that we all learned over the past year, it is the fact that the world needs extremely eligible medical professionals.
We have always recognized that medicine is a challenging and rewarding field, but we have been reminded just how much doctors do to maximize our lives.
For many, the year has been inspiring, and people all over the nation are searching for the best schools to study medicine. Washington also offers an impressive array of medical schools with a much lower cost of living.
There are many factors one should consider when choosing a medical school. The rankings provided by U.S. News & World Report are among the most respected in the world and are a fine place to begin. But it’s not all about basic numbers. There is more to choosing a college than just their ranking.
This list follows the rankings provided by U.S. News. If US News has two schools tied, or if any schools in the state are unranked, College Gazette’s team will determine the order of the school. See Best Medical Schools in Arizona.
By reading about the advantage of each program, the alumni the schools have graduated, and their exceptional visions and methodologies, you have made the first step toward a career in medicine – a career that is essential to everyone!
1. University of Washington School of Medicine (Seattle, WA)
The University of Washington School of Medicine is a premier institution for occupying the #1 spot on the US News & World Report list for “Best Medical School for Primary Care” and #7 for research.
The school received over $780 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, being second to Harvard University in 2019.
University of Washington School of Medicine has been a research powerhouse for many years, being at the forefront of research on Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, genetic disorders, heart disease, infectious disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke.
The school operates various state-of-the-art facilities and labs, including the Harborview Medical Center Campus, which is the site of the University of Washington Research Programs, and the biomedical and clinical research hub at South Lake Union.
Complementing its high-caliber research profile is the school’s innovative and humanitarian curriculum. See the University of Washington Acceptance Rate.
The overarching mission of University of Washington School of Medicine is to train physicians who can make a national impact, with a focus on serving vulnerable and underserved populations, specifically in the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI).
The school is part of a network of programs working towards addressing and alleviating the shortage of quality physicians, by increasing the number of physicians and healthcare facilities in underserved regions.
To this end, the school founded the Office of Rural Programs to develop and implement training chances in the WWAMI region.
Furthermore, the school makes opportunities available for training students in a diverse array of medical care settings, ranging from community hospitals, urban and rural private practices, and international health clinics to Indian Health Service Clinics.
University of Washington School of Medicine is not extensively concerned with physician shortages in rural areas; the school founded the Community-focused Urban Scholars Program to address the demands of vulnerable and underserved populations in urban areas
2. Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (Yakima, WA)
The Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences is a private school established in 2005. Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences consists of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The curriculum combines classroom-based learning, emphasize on the sciences, with off-site clinical rotations throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Rotations include a four-week rotation in rural family medicine, in which Scholars are trained to handle medical issues faced by underserved and rural populations.
Preclinical courses include Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) and Scientific Foundations of Medicine.
Each year, between 98-100 % of graduates secure a residency match, with most of them going into general practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and emergency medicine.
Students also have an average Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) passage rate of around 92%, occasionally exceeding the national average.
With impressive stats like these, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences is yet more proof that the oldest Medical schools do not have a monopoly in training the next crop of high-quality physicians who make an impact in the community.
Faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine are nationally recognized experts in their respective specialties.
The current Chair of Clinical Medicine and Chief of Internal Medicine, Mark Baldwin, D.O, brings over three decades of experience into the classroom and into his training of young osteopaths.
Ruth Bishop, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, practiced general surgery for eight years, prior to earning a Master’s in Public Health, serving on the Industrial Insurance Medical Advisory Committee, and landing a teaching position at Pacific Northwest.
In current years, the number of applicants has been growing. In Fall 2020, the school received 4,455 and only 7% of applicants were admitted.
3. Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine (Spokane, WA)
When it comes to medical schools or programs, being the oldest does not always mean the best or superior quality.
Often, the newest programs quickly rise to the top because of their innovative approaches and ever-expanding offerings and opportunities.
Despite being less than 19 years old, Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is a burgeoning school, with a newly established rural residency program, an innovative, community-based curriculum, and numerous clinical partnerships with hospitals and clinics across the state.
It has already proven itself to be an impactful institution where the brightest and most motivated, aspiring physicians can launch their careers.
Moreover, to its expanding facilities and resources, the Floyd College of Medicine is situated in an economic and cultural hub with an immersed growing healthcare industry.
Its proximity to six major hospitals means that students have ample chances for hands-on, patient-centered training.
From the beginning, students receive a rigorous classroom education and an immersive, clinical experience, made possible by the school’s clinical partnerships throughout Spokane, Everett, the Tri-Cities, and Vancouver.
In the first year, students gain knowledge in the foundational sciences for medicine. Scientific learning is interspersed with the fundamentals of clinical training.
Notable partnerships include Bonner General Health and Hospital, Planned Parenthood, Providence Holy Family Hospital, Pullman Regional Hospital, and many more.
The school boasts an outstanding Teaching Health Clinic that operates as a site for the Spokane campus’ medical residency programs and as a rotation site for health science students.
Under the supervision of seasoned physicians, medical residents treat and manage patients in radiology, internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics, and sports medicine.
Despite that it is a relatively new school, the Floyd College of Medicine offers prospective student many opportunities and a promising future in medicine.
How to Get Into Medical Schools in Washington State
There is no exact piece of advice that we can give to assist you gain admission into any of these schools.
While these schools draw the brightest and most passionate, prospective physicians, admissions committees these days tend to take a more holistic approach in evaluating applicants.
Impressive numbers, such as 4.0 GPA or high MCAT scores, will not automatically get your foot in the door, even though you may make it through the first round of reviews.
The acceptance rates at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences and University of Washington School of Medicine are 7% and 6%, respectively.
The average applicant to these has a stellar academic record and high MCAT scores (see below). In order to stand out, it helps to highlight and show that you are an overall good fit for the school, detailing how your experiences and interests shaped your desire to enter the medical profession.
University of Washington School of Medicine expects applicants to submit letters of recommendation, Casper test results, and, upon invitation, a secondary application that includes a 250-word essay in response to an open-ended prompt. After all of this, students must ace the interview.
With the exception of the Casper test, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences posts similar requirements for the application process.
Floyd College of Medicine is the least competitive of the three schools. Nevertheless, the college looks for various attributes and experiences in its applicants, in addition to the materials that we listed for the University of Washington School of Medicine and Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
PreMed Experience in Washington
You’re likely coming straight out of undergrad and have a PreMed school curriculum under your belt.
If you are invited to submit a secondary/supplemental application and, subsequently, an interview, you need to be able to speak at length about experiences you had outside of the classroom that prepared you for the real deal.
However, the list is not exhaustive, and you may opt to apply for internships that are closer to your school.
We recommend speaking to a pre-med or pre-health academic advisor at your school; they will be able to steer you in the right direction and help you navigate on and off-campus opportunities and resources.
Furthermore, for internships, you may want to see if there are any on campus and local opportunities available, such as a voluntary ambulance service or student-run organizations.
If you are looking at Washington State medical schools, you should consider volunteering and internship opportunities that emphasize on assisting underserved and underprivileged communities.
MCAT and GPA Scores
Admission into these schools is very competitive. It is certainly crucial to put a significant amount of effort into other aspects of the application, you cannot neglect your academic record and MCAT scores.
Since these schools are inundated with applications each year, a strong academic record and high MCAT scores will boost your chances of making it through the first round of application reviews.
While Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences does not have a minimum GPA or MCAT requirement, it helps to keep in mind that the average GPA for the most recently admitted class was 3.4 and the average MCAT score 503. For UWSM, the average GPA was 3.68 and the average MCAT score was 5.20.
In order to qualify for the secondary application, Floyd College of Medicine requires applicants to meet certain GPA/MCAT score combination requirements.
Applicants with an overall GPA of 3.8 or higher, for example, must have MCAT scores on the 27th percentile rank or higher. Lower GPA scores must be accompanied by higher percentile ranks.
Given that admission into Floyd are somewhat selective, most applicants have an above-average GPA of 3.59 or higher and an average MCAT score of 506 or higher.
These numbers written above are not meant to deter anyone whose academic record and MCAT scores are not the most exemplary.
Nevertheless, these three Washington state schools are high-caliber and tend to attract high-achieving applicants.
If your numbers are less than stellar, you should certainly put a lot of effort into developing the other aspects of your application.
Conclusion
The best Medical Schools in the United States have been highlighted and communicated to you in this article, to guide you well in your decision of selecting the best medical school in Washington that is pleasant to you in terms of tuition affordability, objectives, and admission requirements of the school. You can send in your questions via the comment box, we will be there to make justice to them.
Last Updated on June 4, 2023 by Admin
