Sixty percent of the 2015 University of Washington School of Medicine graduating class will enter primary- care residencies this fall.
 
Their participation in the National Residency Matching Program began months ago when the students submitted applications, attended interviews and ranked their desired destinations. This effort culminated on Friday, March 20, for 217 graduating UW School of Medicine students.  The match results indicate that 130 are going into the primary-care fields of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. Another 17 will be training in general surgery, eight in obstetrics/gynecology and seven in psychiatry.
 
“This is a spectacular demonstration of the success of the WWAMI program in motivating medical student interest in careers in primary care,” said Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, dean of the UW School of Medicine and CEO of UW Medicine “The percentage of UW students selecting a primary-care specialty has increased steadily over the years. The percentage this year — 60 percent of our graduating seniors — is a record high.” 
 
Ramsey added, “This is a direct reflection of the UW School of Medicine’s outstanding special programs that introduce students to and prepare them for careers in primary care.  The pay-off is tangible: our students choose primary care.  In addition, nearly two-thirds of our graduates end up practicing in Washington state.”   
 
Highlights from the UW School of Medicine Match Day 2015 include:

• 71 students (up from 60 in 2014) matched in the state of Washington
• 37 percent matched into residency programs in the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho)
• More than one-third of the medical students who started in Spokane matched in a Spokane residency program.

News media contact: Kim Blakeley, krb13@uw.edu