Medical Schools in Wyoming: How to Get In (2024)
/Learn about your chances of entry to medical schools in Wyoming, average GPA and MCAT scores, school profiles, plus strategies for success
Learn everything you need to know about medical schools in wyoming
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in Wyoming: 2024 rankings & admissions statistics
Part 3: Wyoming medical school profiles
Part 4: Wyoming medical school admissions strategies
Appendix A: Wyoming medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: Wyoming medical schools by institution type
Appendix C: Wyoming medical schools by region
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Part 1: Introduction
The vast landscapes of Wyoming are practically synonymous with American ideas of expansiveness and freedom. The 44th state is home to a large portion of Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons, herds of bison, and horizons that stretch to infinity.
Aside from its natural beauty, Wyoming is known as the “Equality state” for being the first state in the nation to grant women the right to vote and currently holds the title of being the least populous. But when it comes to medical schools in Wyoming, unfortunately, you won’t find a fully dedicated Wyoming medical school. However, physicians are trained here through the WWAMI program, affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine.
The name, WWAMI is an acronym for the participating states—Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. Through this program, Wyoming residents can achieve their dream of pursuing an MD and serving their fellow Wyomingites.
If your heart is set on studying at a medical school in Wyoming and ultimately serving rural Wyoming communities, the WWAMI program may be just what you’re looking for.
In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about medical schools in Wyoming, including admissions statistics, curriculum, and school profiles. Plus, we’ll dive into tested admissions strategies to maximize your chances of acceptance as a Wyoming WWAMI student.
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Part 2: List of medical schools in Wyoming: 2024 rankings & admissions statistics
As mentioned above, there are no MD-granting medical schools in Wyoming, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a quality medical education from within the state. In cooperation with the University of Washington School of Medicine, Wyoming participants in the WWAMI regional medical education program will follow UW SOM’s curriculum but be educated primarily in Wyoming.
Due to the unique nature of WWAMI, you’ll apply to the University of Washington School of Medicine as a WWAMI applicant from Wyoming. This means some of the stats we’ve collected in the table below apply to UW SOM rather than the University of Wyoming itself. We’ve noted this where applicable.
While gathering this information, we noticed a few things about the program from a Wyoming perspective that stood out to us.
Wyoming has the least number of seats in the program but a high acceptance rate, likely due to the low number of applicants. The University of Washington notes a 40.3% acceptance rate among Wyoming applicants.
To apply to WWAMI as a Wyoming student you must meet residency requirements for Wyoming.
As a WWAMI student from Wyoming, you will be required to sign a contract stating that upon completion of residency, you will return to Wyoming to practice medicine for three years. If you choose not to, the subsidized tuition cost from the Wyoming state government will have to be paid back by you, including interest.
The University of Washington School of Medicine has opted out of U.S. News and World Report rankings for 2024. We’ve placed their ranking from 2023 in the table below to give you a sense of where it stands.
While the University of Wyoming doesn’t offer an MD or DO, it does have a College of Health Sciences offering various professional programs. We’ve noted some U.S. News rankings for these programs in the table below.
(Note: We strongly advise you to sign up for MSAR for the most up-to-date and comprehensive data on individual MD programs and to sign up for Choose DO for DO program data.)
| Wyoming Medical Schools | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wyoming | #56 (Pharmacy) #13 (Research - University of Washington) (2023) UR (University of Washington) (2024) |
1996 (University of Wyoming joined WWAMI) |
*Public medical schools in Wyoming | UR: Unranked | IS: In-state | OOS: Out-of-state students are not eligible to apply | N/A: Not available
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Part 3: Wyoming medical school profiles
Since the WWAMI program is the only path toward an MD in Wyoming, we’ll take a look below at what this entails and give some background on the University of Wyoming itself.
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming traces its roots back to 1886, just a few years before it joined the union. However, it only joined the WWAMI program in 1996, with its first cohort of 10 students beginning studies the following year in 1997.
As a medical student in this program, you’ll begin the first 18 months of your journey at the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie. When it comes time for your clinical rotations in the third and fourth years of study, you’ll complete these at selected sites around the Wyoming or WWAMI region.
The overall curriculum follows the University of Washington’s model, which is separated into 3 main phases. The first 18-month phase is foundational, while Phase 2 will have you completing required clerkships in the following areas:
Family Medicine
Internal Medicine
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Surgery
During this time, you’ll also have the opportunity to pursue optional tracks such as:
The WWAMI Track Program, allowing you to focus your clerkships at a particular city or area within the WWAMI region
The WRITE program, a clerkship at a primary care teaching site
A 12-month integrated clerkship in Olympia, Washington
Studying at a medical school in Wyoming will also afford you unique opportunities, especially if you’re keen on serving rural or underserved communities. The Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP) is a four-week elective program for students between the first and second years of medical school.
By joining this program, you’ll do a rotation with local physicians working with underserved populations at a site within the WWAMI region. This can give you greater insight into what your daily work will be like early on in your medical education, and it could give you an idea of how you’d like to specialize by informing you of the needs on the ground within these communities.
Furthermore, there’s the Targeted Rural Underserved Track (TRUST) program, which essentially matches qualified applicants to a specific community within the WWAMI region that will become the student’s home community during their four years of medical school. This special curriculum is meant to connect you with underserved communities and the network of residency programs via UW SOM.
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Part 4: Wyoming medical school admissions strategies
Strategy 1: Align your application with the missions of medical schools in Wyoming
When applying to medical schools in Wyoming through the WWAMI program, it is essential to demonstrate a strong alignment with the values and mission of the University of Washington School of Medicine and the WWAMI program itself. This is because while you’ll be spending a lot of your time in Wyoming while in med school, your application will go through UW SOM.
The WWAMI program emphasizes a commitment to serving rural and underserved communities. UW SOM aims to train compassionate, culturally competent physicians who are passionate about serving the needs of the populations throughout the WWAMI region.
Your personal statement and overall application should showcase your desire to serve these communities. What is your connection to the region? What experiences have you had that have not only contributed to your desire to become a doctor but have specifically contributed to your desire to serve the WWAMI region?
Furthermore, one of WWAMI’s five primary goals is, “Increase the number of primary care physicians, especially in under-resourced areas.” It should be clear in your secondary essays that this is also your primary goal. Being such a region-specific program, you’ll want to do everything you can to highlight any connections you have there.
Long before it comes time to apply, focus your efforts on shadowing primary care physicians in under-resourced areas. Getting enough shadowing and volunteer hours is crucial for any med school applicant, but when it comes to medical schools in Wyoming, you should tailor those extracurricular experiences to support your application.
Strategy 2: Equip yourself for success in Wyoming medical school interviews
Once you’ve made it to the interview stage, you’re nearing the finish line. This is the final hurdle you need to conquer before receiving that all-important acceptance letter. A medical school interview is unlike any interview you’ve had before. It could be the most consequential interview of your life, so make sure you take it seriously and prepare adequately beforehand.
Making a strong impression during your interview at medical schools in Wyoming goes far beyond simply memorizing answers to common questions. It’s about presenting yourself as a confident, thoughtful, and approachable candidate. To achieve this, begin by considering the interview format you’ll encounter.
During the WWAMI interview process, you’ll meet with three interviewers simultaneously for approximately 30 minutes. One interviewer will have access to your entire file, while the other two will only be able to reference your current application.
This interview will follow a traditional interview format, rather than an MMI format. You’ll likely be asked questions such as, “Why medicine?,” “Why WWAMI?,” or, “What motivated you to become a doctor?” Having well-thought-out answers to questions such as these will go a long way to leaving a lasting positive impression on adcoms.
Suggested reading: (How to Ace Medical School Interviews (Questions Included))
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Strategy 3: Structure your time effectively for the WWAMI secondary essays
Navigating the entire admissions process for medical schools in Wyoming and the WWAMI MD program requires careful planning, particularly time management. There will be times when it will feel as though you’re simply juggling too much at once.
One way to lessen the burden is to formulate a solid plan of action. You’ll likely be applying to upwards of 20 med schools, each with their own set of secondary essay prompts that you’ll need to answer. Therefore, considering how you will approach this herculean task will help you make the best use of your time and maximize your chances of getting into med school.
Your plan should take into account your personal working style, as well as the length and number of essays required for each school. For example, you might be one who likes to tackle big jobs first and come back to smaller ones later, or vice versa. Some schools will only require two essays of 500 words each, while others require ten essays of 150 words each. However you choose to approach this is up to you, but thinking ahead will do wonders for your writing and your ability to submit applications that reflect your best self.
To get you started on planning, we’ve placed the number of secondary essays required for the University of Washington School of Medicine in the table below. You’ll need to complete these for the WWAMI program.
| Wyoming Medical Schools | |
|---|---|
| University of Washington School of Medicine |
Looking for medical school secondary essay examples? We have a sample essay in response to every prompt required by every medical school in the US and Canada. You can subscribe below.
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Final thoughts
Getting into medical schools in Wyoming, particularly through the WWAMI program, requires dedication and strategic preparation. By thoroughly tailoring your application to reflect both your qualifications and the specific values of Wyoming's medical education institutions, you can enhance your chances of gaining admission and be on the way to your dream career of serving the residents of this great state.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
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Appendix A: Wyoming medical schools by degree type
Allopathic medical schools in Wyoming (MD)
University of Wyoming / University of Washington School of Medicine (WWAMI program)
Osteopathic medical schools in Wyoming (DO)
There are no osteopathic medical schools in Wyoming.
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Appendix B: Wyoming medical schools by institution type
Public medical schools in Wyoming
University of Wyoming / University of Washington School of Medicine (WWAMI program)
Private medical schools in Wyoming
There are no private medical schools in Wyoming.
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Appendix C: Wyoming medical schools by region
Medical schools in southeast Wyoming
University of Wyoming (located in Laramie) / University of Washington School of Medicine (WWAMI program)
