Profession
Alaska expands med student subsidies
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 28, 2007
The number of Alaska medical students in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho regional medical program will double in an effort to address a growing shortage of physicians in the nation's 49th state.
In March, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin signed a bill to expand state subsidies to support 20 students per class instead of 10. By 2011, this will cost the state $3 million annually. Current costs are $1.5 million a year.
Under the WWAMI program, students selected from the four other states are responsible for the in-state tuition price at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The student's home state pays the difference between that and the out-of-state rate. In return, the students must practice in their sponsoring state for a year after graduation.
The Alaska students spend their first year at the University of Alaska in Anchorage before joining the other participants in Washington.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/05/28/prbf0528.htm.