Agreement buoys medical school interviews for UAF students

January 29, 2019

Photo by Todd Paris. UAF undergraduates Heather Bruhn, left, and Michelle Negrete, center, work with teaching assistant Sophie Chowdhury during an anatomy and physiology lab in 2013. A recent agreement will make it easier for UAF students to get an interview at a medical school in Washington state.

University of Alaska Fairbanks students will soon find it easier to get an admissions interview with a medical school in Washington state.

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences will guarantee qualifying UAF students an interview with its College of Osteopathic Medicine. Guaranteeing such interviews will make it easier for UAF students to reach their educational goals.

“We are excited to be able to provide this opportunity to our students who are interested in going to medical school,” said Leah Berman, interim dean of UAF’s College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, applications to medical schools nationwide in 2018-2019 were up 10,000 from a decade earlier. The increased competition means securing an interview for medical school today requires more than high grades, stellar exam scores and a compelling personal statement.

"Most students are required to go through several layers of review prior to the interview process," said Carolyn Chapin, UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics’ undergraduate advisor. "The UAF and PNWU memorandum of understanding means that UAF students who are well qualified have a few less steps to go through before they are invited to interview."

UAF's agreement with PWNU is also expected to help address a physician shortage in the Pacific Northwest. PNWU is based in Yakima, 110 miles southeast of Seattle.

Both UAF and PNWU are accredited and provide a quality education. This paved the way for the memorandum.

“We are absolutely thrilled that PNWU-COM has recognized the caliber of our students,” Chapin said. “We’re very pleased knowing that our students who are going into those programs are well-prepared.”

To learn more about the partnership, students can contact Chapin at carolyn.chapin@alaska.edu or 907-474-5548.