1 Introduction
Welcome!
This Pressbooks is your interactive source for everything you need to know to get started as new block faculty with WWAMI Spokane. Think of it as your virtual orientation guide. Information is presented in several modalities including text, slides, and videos. There are additional links if you’d like more information for a given topic as you move through the book. Navigate using the Contents menu in the upper left or using the “Previous” and “Next” buttons at the bottom of each page.
WWAMI
WWAMI is the UW School of Medicine’s one-of-a-kind, multi-state medical education program. The acronym, WWAMI, stands for the states served by the UW School of Medicine: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. During the first 18 months, students at each of the 6 sites are taught through a parallel curriculum. The specifics of this arrangement are discussed in more detail in Chapter 1. During the clinical years, UW medical students have access to a variety of settings: from a busy Level I trauma center in Seattle, WA, to a small primary care clinic in Libby, MT, to working with Alaska Natives in Anchorage, AK. WWAMI relies heavily on community-based clinical faculty to educate our medical students.
Gonzaga-UW Regional Health Partnership
The WWAMI Spokane program is made possible by the Gonzaga-UW Regional Health Partnership. In conjunction with the UW School of Medicine in Seattle, this collaboration strives to attain two main goals: to make public medical education accessible to residents throughout the five states, and to encourage graduates to choose careers in primary care and family medicine and ultimately locate their practices in non-metropolitan areas of the northwestern U.S. For more information: Gonzaga-UW Regional Health Partnership
This regional health partnership means that you will be closely connected with both the University of Washington and Gonzaga University. Because of this double affiliation, we thought it helpful to provide some tips to help facilitate the onboarding processes.
- UWSOM is responsible for all employment/HR related onboarding. Ie. benefits, payroll, health insurance, retirement, compliance, trainings, etc.
- UW HR on the Seattle Campus will determine your start date and will communicate with you (by way of email) regarding the UW onboarding process. Be sure to check your spam folder.
- Spokane/Gonzaga is responsible for all local onboarding. Ie. campus access, equipment, IT support, parking, etc.
- You will be issued two User Names/Profiles and log-in’s (one for the UW and one for Gonzaga).
- You will use your UW NetID/email/login for all your daily work related to teaching for and activities related to the School of Medicine (zoom, email, Microsoft Suite, Canvas, etc).
- You will use your Gonzaga email/login for anything related to work-life that relies on Gonzaga Campus infrastructure; Wi-Fi, campus communications, IT support, building access, parking, etc
- Please commit both profiles to memory as you will need both to navigate Spokane SOM.
When you receive your start date from the UW, please contact Teresa Borrenpohl borrtere@uw.edu, regarding next steps for Spokane/Gonzaga onboarding process. This will include:
- How to apply for a Zag Card. Look for an email from Gonzaga Campus Card Services
- Ordering/issuing a laptop
- Desk location
- Internet access and printing
- Parking information
- I-9 Employment Verification
Our Campus – Virtual tour
In September 2022 this consortium opened the region’s new, state-of-the-art hub for medical and health education, research and innovation, anchored by the University of Washington School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership. All offices, classrooms and labs are located here. The building address is 840 Spokane Falls Boulevard.
Take a virtual tour of the building here: 840 Building Tour Welcome video