The regional graduate medical education program of the University of Washington

To address problems of geographic and specialty distribution of physicians in the states of Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, the University of Washington School of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals developed a regional program of graduate medical education beginning in 1971. The program in 1986-87 had 77 percent of the residency positions in the region and involved more than 30 hospitals and clinics. In 1986-87, 58 percent of the residents completing training were in family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics. The program is centrally coordinated by the school's associate dean for clinical affairs, who works with departmental program directors and hospital and university administrators.