Welcome to the WWAMI Program

The Pediatric WWAMI Program encompasses Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, "WWAMI". In the Pediatrics WWAMI program, there are 25 teaching sites, more than 300 volunteer clinical faculty and many more educators teaching  in the WWAMI region.  There are currently 15 sites that can have visiting professors and all site directors and the leadership staff attend an annual retreat. 

The Pediatric WWAMI Medical Student Program has in the WWAMI regions (outside of Seattle) compared to Seattle rotations, 12 out of 13  third year clinical sites and 9 out of 25 based fourth year elective sites.  Greater than 70% of all third year students do the third year clerkship in the WWAMI region, including the WRITE program students.  The Write program continues to grow and it currently has 13 students, increasing to 19 in the 2011-12 academic year.

The Pediatric WWAMI Resident Program has five established sites.  Each Pediatric resident during their second year of residency spends 8 weeks (2 blocks) at one of the training sites.  Each site has its own feel and unique characteristics.

Visiting Professors are an important part of the WWAMI outreach to the teaching sites, providing informational support and faculty development at the WWAMI training sites.  A Seattle Children's physician will come to a WWAMI site to do a lecture or Grand Rounds presentation, will discuss cases or advise on patients presented. 

The volunteer Clinical Faculty at teaching sites, as well as involvement in other areas that serve the University of Washington Department of Pediatrics, are the core of teaching at each site and more.  By becoming a Clinical Faculty member, there are privileges through the University of Washington that are provided, and each Clinical Faculty member receives the Department of Pediatrics Newsletter by e-mail.

There are many educators in the WWAMI region that are not clinical faculty, they are residents, fellows teaching students, or residents and physicians who work with students or residents on an infrequent basis. 

An annual retreat is held in Seattle every other year, and in the WWAMI region during the other years.  This invitational retreat is for the Site Directors to come together with the Seattle Pediatric Leadership to review the past year and prepare for the new year, highlighting any academic changes to implement or guidelines to prepare for, and provides faculty development to the leaders at the training sites. 

The WWAMI Pediatric Program has these areas and more coordinated throughout the year.  The WWAMI Leadership at Seattle Children's Hospital is fully committed to support all aspects of this program.