MEDEX Northwest is a certificate program that offers a Master's in Clinical Health Services degree or Bachelor's in Clinical Health Services degree.

We are a regional program that educates physician assistants in a proven tradition of excellence.

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MEDEX Northwest, the University of Washington School of Medicine's Physician Assistant Program, is committed to educating experienced health personnel from diverse backgrounds to practice medicine with physician supervision. The program provides a broad, competency-based curriculum that focuses on primary care with an emphasis on underserved populations. MEDEX encourages life-long learning to meet ever-changing health care needs. As a pioneer in PA education, MEDEX continues to be innovative in identifying, creating, and filling new niches for physician assistants a strategy for expanding health care access.

Established in 1969, we are proud of our long-standing mission to train health care providers who will practice primary care in medically underserved and rural areas of the UW School of Medicine's service region: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho (WWAMI). Most of our nearly 2,000 graduates work in the WWAMI region.

MEDEX offers a competency-based training program that accepts applicants with previous health care experience in nursing, as EMTs, Alaska community health aides, medical assistants, former military corpsmen, etc. Four classroom sites serve students from a wide geographic range, and clinical training takes place throughout the WWAMI region and beyond. The very diverse MEDEX students fulfill the program's mission to improve access to primary health care as well as developing new professional roles for PAs.

Our faculty and staff bring considerable experience to the MEDEX program. The Program Director,Terry Scott, is a MEDEX Northwest graduate and has been in PA education for nearly 20 years. In addition to his academic career he maintains a connection to clinical practice in primary care. The 36 core faculty members include PAs, MDs and research faculty with up to 30 years experience in PA education, as health care providers and, health care research. The 18-member staff includes individuals with extensive involvement in and familiarity with the field of PA education as well.