UW WWAMI Students Connect with Wyoming Hospital Association Members

The annual Wyoming Hospital Association (WHA) awards dinner brought together hospital leadership from across the state and students from the University of Wyoming WWAMI Medical Education Program for an evening of recognition, networking and forward-looking discussions on the state's health care workforce.

The primary purpose of the awards dinner was to recognize the achievements of the WHA, its members and staff. Wyoming WWAMI students partook in the dinner to connect with hospital leadership from across the state.

One of the key highlights of the evening was an energized dialogue between Wyoming WWAMI medical students and hospital administrators about strategies to strengthen the physician pipeline and expand opportunities for WWAMI graduates to return to practice in Wyoming's rural communities.

"The WHA awards dinner was an amazing opportunity to connect with hospital leadership from all over Wyoming. They offered valuable advice about residency and future job searching," says Makena Engelker, a WWAMI medical student from Lusk. "The connections we made will be invaluable throughout our medical careers."

Students shared their commitment to serving the state and reflected on their early educational experiences with clinical rotations that they have already experienced in hospitals spanning Wyoming. These opportunities, they noted, have opened their eyes to the unique challenges and rewards of practicing in smaller, community-based facilities.

"Being at the WHA dinner allowed us WWAMI students to get a different perspective on health care around the state, and I think it was valuable for the hospital administrators to hear our perspectives that, although carry some naivety, also offer a unique point of view," says Erica Farris, of Cheyenne, a member of the class that started in July. "Wyomingites deserve great health care and, as future physicians, we WWAMI students already have the opportunity to start advocating to improve the challenges Wyoming health care faces."

Hospital leaders echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of cultivating strong ties with students during their early years of training. Many administrators spoke about their facilities' eagerness to host clinical rotations, increasing opportunities for mentorship and offering pathways for students to eventually establish their practices in state.

The discussion underscored the central role of the WWAMI program in addressing Wyoming's long-standing physician shortage. Students and hospital leaders explored possible solutions, including expanded residency opportunities in Wyoming, student loan repayment programs tied to service in rural communities and enhanced support for rural hospitals serving as training sites.

WHA President Eric Boley praises both the hospital leaders and students for their shared vision of strengthening Wyoming's health care future.

"We loved having the WWAMI students attend our annual meeting. It was great to see their enthusiasm and to see them interact with hospital leaders from all over the state," Boley says. "The WWAMI program is important to the future of our state in providing health care in every region and community. The WHA and our members are very honored to have such a great partnership with the WWAMI program."

The evening concluded on a hopeful note, with students and hospital leaders committed to continuing their collaboration to ensure Wyoming communities remain strong, healthy and supported by a robust health care workforce.

"Relationships between programs like WWAMI and the hospitals in Wyoming lay the foundations of successful physician training and long-term retention," says Todd Guth, director of the WWAMI Medical Education Program. "By working together, we give our students the real-world experience, mentorship and community connections they need to thrive -- and we help ensure that every Wyoming community has access to excellent health care now and into the future."

About the Wyoming-WWAMI Medical Education Program

The WWAMI Medical Education Program -- Wyoming's medical school -- is a partnership between the University of Wyoming and the University of Washington School of Medicine. WWAMI is an acronym for the five states that participate in the program: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.

WWAMI reserves 20 seats each year for qualified Wyoming residents. Students accepted to the program spend 18 months on the University of Wyoming campus. The third and fourth years are spent at selected clinical sites throughout the WWAMI region.

To learn more about Wyoming-WWAMI, go here.