Clinical Rotation – Anchorage

Demographic Information

Fitness/recreation areas available in the region:
Alaska is a playground. In addition to the abundance of year-round outdoor activities, there are diverse indoor recreational activities throughout the area.

Housing:
Housing can be expensive and difficult to find depending on the time of year.  Often times sharing a house may offer less expenses and more room than single apartments.

You will usually have to commute at some point, staying closer to North/Mid Anchorage helps. UMED district is great. Steer away from South Anchorage housing.

Resources to consider: Facebook Marketplace (very active), Furnishedfinder.com, Zillow, Craigslist, apartmentfinder.com, doorsteps.com, apartmenthomeliving.com, forrent.com, and local property management companies.

Length of time region has been training with PNWU students:
Anchorage: 2009 / MatSu: 2020

Preceptor/Rotation Information

The region will do their best to schedule core rotations within 50 miles one way from where didactics are held or from the satellite locations (a location for clinical rotations associated with a regional site). In the event that a core rotation occurs more than 50 miles from their assigned site, students may be eligible for a housing allowance and/or mileage stipend provided by PNWU.

Availability of various 4th year elective specialties changes continually. The RSA for this region will assist with identifying current opportunities.

The following are typically available though not always:   

Number of Preceptors credentialed with PNWU to teach CORE rotations:
36 CORE Clinical Faculty preceptors who also share precepting with approximately 30 additional physicians.

D.O. preceptors in the region (approx.):  19

M.D. preceptors in the region (approx.): 27

Rotations that provide inpatient experience:

• Behavioral Health
• family Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Pediatrics
• Surgery

Rotation challenges in the region based on availability:  
Anchorage:

• Emergency Medicine
• OB/Gyn

MatSu:

• Behavioral Health
• Emergency Medicine

Is there integration of other schools with PNWU students?
Yes, the WWAMI students are in many of the same rotations as PNWU students

Residencies available in the region that PNWU students are involved in (didactics, rotations, etc.):
Alaska Family Medicine Residency

Opportunities to practice OMM:
There are opportunities within the OMM rotation and intermittently during FM and IM

Out-of-Region Expectations:
It is expected that a student may be required to rotate outside of their region (often out of state) for any unavailable core rotations. Some rotations shared between sites, meaning some commuting. Please see student handbook for policies and procedures related to core rotations conducted out of region.

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Didactics Information

Centralized Didactics are held every Wednesday afternoon from 1 pm to 3 pm AK. Students will join the online PNWU Centralized Didactics for the Clinical Didactics (CLIN 704) course.

Regional didactics, which are part of the Clinical Didactics (CLIN 704) course, are held every Wednesday as scheduled by the regional leadership and include various topics/activities.

3 pm AK – Regional; 1 hour minimum (Zoom invites come from RSA/AD)

4 pm AK – Regional/Independent Learning; when this hour is not being utilized for regional needs, students will be excused for Independent Learning.

Anchorage assigned students, while on their FM and IM service, will participate in didactics with Alaska Family Medicine Residency. They are held every Thursday afternoon and are a mix of lectures, small groups, and workshops.

Other learning opportunities in addition to PNWU didactics include:
There are other rotation specific didactics held throughout the area that our students have been invited to participate in.

Core (3rd year) rotations available within driving distance (50 miles) of the didactics site?
Yes

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Additional Information

Regional Strengths:  
There are ample opportunity for inpatient experiences as well as opportunity to train alongside residents on many rotations. Anchorage offers strong, diverse rotations with preceptors who are very eager to teach!

Why might a student choose this region over another?
If you are from Alaska, it’s home! If not, it is an adventure and a great place to live and practice. If you are interested in the Alaska Family Medicine Residency, PNWU students are integrated into the residency in many ways.

Student/Resident Information: (as of AY 23-24)
Number of OMS3 Students Rotating in Region:   11
Number of OMS4 Students Rotating in Region:   11
Alumni in Residency Programs (Alaska totals):   48
Alumni practicing in the regions (Alaska totals):   29
% of PNWU-COM matriculation from regions (Alaska totals):  3.0%

Additional information:
Travel to-and-from Alaska can be very expensive.

If you are Indigenous of Alaska or North America, have strong ties to Alaska Native Medical Center, there are more opportunities to rotate at the Alaska Native Medical Center, in Obstetrics and Gynecology, through an application process with South Central Foundation (SCF). The RSA for this region receives a notification from SCF each year when the application becomes available.

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Contact Information

Iron Horse Lodge
111 University Parkway
Yakima, WA 98901

Mary Baker
Administrative Specialist
509-249-7991
mbaker@pnwu.edu