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> WWAMI Medical Education Program
Admissions
Admission procedures and policies outlined here are subject to change. Information regarding changes is available through the University of Washington School of Medicine's Office of Admissions.
To be eligible for consideration for the Montana WWAMI Program, the prospective medical student must satisfy the admission requirements of the University of Washington School of Medicine and must be a certified resident of Montana at the time application is made. Students admitted to the Montana State University WWAMI Program are selected by the Admissions Office at the University of Washington School of Medicine and are regarded as members of the University of Washington freshman medical class. We currently receive approximately one hundred applications per year for the twenty available WWAMI positions.
Selection Factors
Candidates for admission to the University of Washington School of Medicine are considered comparatively on the basis of academic performance, motivation, maturity, personal integrity and demonstrated humanitarian qualities. A knowledge of, and exposure to, the needs of individuals and society and an awareness of health care delivery systems are desired. Extenuating circumstances in an applicant's background are evaluated as they relate to these selection factors.
The Medical College Admission Test
Applicants must submit scores from a 2005 or later Medical College Admission Test (MCAT); older scores are accepted only when authorized by the Dean. The MCAT customarily is given in the spring and autumn of each year, and must be taken by the autumn of the year preceding the proposed date of enrollment. MCAT registration blanks are available through premedical advisors or through the Office of Admissions. Further information on the administration of this test may be obtained by writing to the MCAT Program Office, or by contacting the premedical advisor on your campus. Under exceptional circumstances, to be determined by the Dean for Admissions, the GRE may be considered during the admissions process; however, the applicant will be required to take the MCAT prior to matriculation.
Course Requirements
The premedical course requirements should be completed by the time of application and must be completed before matriculation. These requirements are a total of 32 semester hours or 48 quarter hours of undergraduate science courses divided into:
- Chemistry: 12 semester/18 quarter hours of inorganic, organic, biochemistry or molecular biology courses in any combination.
- Physics: 4 semester/6 quarter hours.
- Biology: 8 semester/12 quarter hours.
- Other: ("open" science subjects) 8 semester/12 quarter hours in any of the above three categories.
Essential Content of Pre-Med Courses in Molecular Biology/Biochemistry
As part of or in addition to the above courses, the transcripts of applicants must include courses with the following content:
Molecular Biology:
- Know the chemical nature of DNA, RNA, genes, and in general how genes are organized in chromosomes.
- Understand the nature of eukaryotic DNA replication.
- Be familiar with transcription of genes and intron splicing.
- Have an overview of the mechanism of protein synthesis.
- Understand principles of recombinant DNA technology (e.g. restriction endonucleases, PCR, southern blots, transformation).
Proteins and Enzymes:
- Understand pH, pKa, and buffers.
- Understand how proteins fold and how ligand binding and enzymatic activity depend upon three-dimensional folding.
- Understand principles of enzyme kinetics (Km, Vmax, competitive inhibition, allostery, and regulation by phosphorylation).
Metabolism:
- Understand glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and how ATP is produced by oxidative phosphorylation.
- Understand principles of energetics (e.g. free energy change, equilibrium constants, concentration gradients, and redox potentials).
- Be familiar with how fatty acids are oxidized and synthesized.
- Be familiar with patterns of amino acid catabolism and the urea cycle.
- Understand the nature of phospholipids, lipid bilayers and membranes.
- Have an overview of nucleotide biosynthesis.
General
Under exceptional circumstances, certain course requirements may be waived for individuals who present unusual achievements and academic promise. All candidates must demonstrate substantial academic ability in their major field as well as in the required science courses. Candidates should be broadly educated and proficient in the use of the English language and basic mathematics. They are also expected to have a basic understanding of personal computing and information technologies.
Completion of three years of course work at an accredited college or university is the minimum required for matriculation; however, 99 to 100 percent of entrants in recent years have earned bachelor's degrees. No specific major is advised. A broad background in the humanities and liberal arts is encouraged, indeed expected.
All candidates are urged to discuss undergraduate credentials and curriculum with premedical advisors at their undergraduate institutions. Further Admissions information is available through the University of Washington School of Medicine's Admissions Office.
The program encourages the applications of under represented minority students and educationally disadvantaged students. For more information contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
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