College of Medicine class profile gives glimpse into medical education need

By Christina VerHeul, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine

SPOKANE, Wash. – A new profile of the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine charter class shows it is comprised of a strong percentage of women, low socioeconomic status and first generation students.

The class, a group of 60 students who are current residents of or have significant ties to Washington, represent a population of talented students who would otherwise have been forced to go out of state for their medical educations.

Selected from more than 700 applications that were submitted in just 27 days – the timeframe between receipt of preliminary accreditation and the application submission deadline – competition was stiff for the coveted spots.

“Our recruitment cycle for this first class was extremely truncated,” said Dr. John Tomkowiak, founding dean of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. “While most schools began recruiting in the summer, we couldn’t begin recruitment until November 2016. Despite the challenge, the fact that we received more than 700 applications in less than a month only highlights the pent-up need for medical education in this state.”

The college focused on drawing students from a wide cross-section of rural and urban underserved areas across the state to increase the likelihood they will return to their communities to practice medicine. It then selected students from 15 of the state’s 39 counties, with 15 percent of the class hailing from rural communities.

The college exceeded national averages for admission of females and average age, and had great success recruiting first-generation college graduates, as well as students with low socioeconomic status.

“We are proud of the highly accomplished group of students we selected for this charter class,” said Tomkowiak. “As we continue to grow in awareness and reputation, as well as build our recruitment efforts across the state, we anticipate the applicant pool and matriculated classes will continue to impress.”

Below is a profile of the charter class:

Demographics

• Females: 34 (56.7%)
• Legal Washington residents: 57 (95%) *The 5% nonlegal Washington residents must demonstrate they are from Washington by meeting at least 3 of the 4 requirements: born in Washington, childhood address in Washington, graduated from a Washington high school, parent/guardian currently lives in Washington.
• Childhood in a rural Washington county: 9 (15%) *Based on Office of Financial Management data.
• Childhood in a medically underserved Washington county: 58 (96.7%) *Based on the area health resources files from Health Resources & Services Administration.
• Washington counties represented: 15, including Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Franklin, Grant, King, Pacific, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima.

• First-generation college graduate*: 11 (18.3%) *bachelor’s degree
• Low socioeconomic status*: 20 (33.3%) *Based on AMCAS EO1 or EO2
• Average age: 26 / range 21-36
• Advanced degrees: 7 (11.7%)

Applications

• Total AMCAS applications: 711
• Total secondary applications sent: 501
• Total completed applications: 466
• Total interviewed: 332
• Matriculated class: 60

For more information, visit medicine.wsu.edu.

Media Contact

• Christina VerHeul, director of communications and marketing, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, 509-368-6850, christina.verheul@wsu.edu