Agreement buoys medical school interviews for TV students
January 29, 2019
Tanya Clayton
907-474-7541
TVstudents 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 TV students an interview with its College of Osteopathic Medicine. Guaranteeing such interviews will make it easier for TV 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 TV’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, TV College of Natural Science and Mathematics’ undergraduate advisor. "The TV and PNWU memorandum of understanding means that TV students who are well qualified have a few less steps to go through before they are invited to interview."
TV'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 TV 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.