WSU College of Medicine receives accreditation to launch first residency program in Everett

Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine today announced that it has earned accreditation to launch its first residency program and is accepting applications immediately.

The WSU Internal Medicine Residency Program-Everett, based at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, is a three-year residency training program with a focus on primary care. Sixteen resident positions have been approved for the first year; 12 categorical and four preliminary positions will be welcomed in June 2021 with 12 more added each year over three years to cap at 40 total residency positions when fully supported.

“This is an extremely proud moment for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and is something we’ve been working toward since the day we started the college,” said Dr. John Tomkowiak, founding dean of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. “More residency programs in Washington increases the likelihood that students will remain in our state to practice medicine, and we’re so excited to launch this program in time for our first graduating class of medical students to apply and potentially continue their training with WSU.”

Residency, also known as graduate medical education, is the three- to seven-year phase of medical education following graduation from medical school that prepares physicians for independent practice in a medical specialty. While about 43 percent of medical school graduates practice in the state where they graduate, that number increases to 70 percent when they complete both their medical education and their residency in the same state.

“We are thrilled to partner with the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine on this new program and welcome our first class of residents next summer,” said Dr. Jay Cook, chief medical officer at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. “The mission to train medical students to serve our rural and underserved communities and increase the likelihood they will remain right here in Washington is well aligned with our goals and we look forward to making a marked impact on both through this residency program.”

While residents of the WSU Internal Medicine Residency Program-Everett will primarily be based at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, they will have rotations with several area clinics and physician groups including The Everett Clinic, Snohomish Kidney Institute, North Sound Emergency Medicine, Western Washington Medical Group, and Providence Medical Group Northwest. Residents will divide their time between general medicine and subspecialty ward services, intensive care units, ambulatory care experiences, consultation rotations, emergency rooms and long-term care settings.

“This program offers a unique opportunity for residents to gain experience treating patients from a wide range of racial, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as from the surrounding rural communities, which aligns with the college’s focus on serving Washington’s rural and underserved,” said Dr. Jonathan Espenschied, associate dean of graduate medical education and continuing medical education. “Providence Regional Medical Center Everett has been a terrific partner throughout this process and, as the primary clinical site for the residency program, it allows for the possibility to branch out into other rural and underserved areas in the region.”

Dr. Matthew Hansen, an internal medicine specialist treating patients in the Everett area for the past six years, will serve as the program director leading operations, recruitment and education for the residency program.

“I am honored to be WSU’s first residency program director and to use my expertise and passion for medical education to expand internal medicine training in Washington,” said Hansen. “Like the inaugural class at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, this first class of residents will get to help mold and shape this program for years to come, leaving a legacy for every future resident in this program.”

The program received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) after a rigorous two-year development process following the college’s initial ACGME accreditation as a sponsoring institution in 2018.

For more information about applying to the WSU Internal Medicine Residency Program-Everett or to learn more about the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, visit medicine.wsu.edu.