A bill under consideration in the Washington Legislature would give Washington State University’s new medical school in Spokane a say in setting up hands-on training for medical students after they graduate.
The measure introduced in the House would add the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine to the Family Medicine Residency Network, which provides financial aid for medical school graduates at residencies where they learn skills at hospitals and clinics. The college’s dean would appoint someone to a new slot on the network and to a separate advisory board that recommends where residencies are set up, provides state money, and evaluates the programs. The WSU representatives would join members from the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
Supporters say the bill would help medically underserved parts of Eastern Washington fill their physician shortage, especially in rural areas.
(Spokesman-Review)
