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Two medical schools needed?

After reading Jim Camden’s Jan. 23 article about Spokane medical schools, I have many questions that I hope lawmakers will ask in upcoming committee meetings.

First, what do the University of Washington and Washington State University each see as the appropriate number of medical students in Spokane? Both schools are proposing to ramp up to 120 students. Do they both think 240 students is the ideal number? Or that 120 is an ideal number, in which case we will have twice the number of students that we need?

I would like WSU to explain why having two medical schools sharing the same buildings, with separate administrative and teaching staffs, and both competing for limited clinical training slots, is a better model than the operating agreement with UW it rejected in favor of running a separate program.

Does WSU believe that merely placing a medical school in Spokane will make more students want to practice in rural areas? If so, this seems like magical thinking akin to “build it and they will come.”

I believe the way to solve this problem is to offer financial incentives in exchange for an agreement to practice in a rural area for a specified time.

Donald Lamp

Spokane



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