Didactic Experience

During their first year at MEDEX — the didactic year — students spend most of their time in the classroom at the UW Health Sciences Building. The rigorous full-time curriculum builds on their knowledge from prior careers in healthcare. Outside the classroom, students apply these new skills with retirement home volunteers, care for standardized patients, interview complex patients, and gain exposure to various medical procedures through observation experiences with practicing professionals. Here are some stories about experiences both in and outside of the MEDEX classroom.

PA Week 2023 at MEDEX Northwest
October 23, 2023

The idea behind National PA Week, which is held every year from Oct. 6 – 12, is to recognize the PA profession and its contributions to the team sport that is U.S. healthcare. By all accounts, this year’s 2023 edition held by the five campuses of MEDEX Northwest was an [...]

Volunteerism at MEDEX Northwest
October 17, 2022

For a good number of MEDEX Northwest students, volunteerism proved to be the best way to acknowledge PA Week 2022 (October 6-12) and to celebrate the profession they are focused on joining. Here are some photos and reports on their efforts to make a difference in their communities.  [...]

You Are Crushing It.
May 12, 2020

When the first case of COVID-19 case was discovered at the University of Washington, MEDEX moved all courses to remote learning on March 30, 2020. The MEDEX didactic faculty was able to respond immediately with their reimagined plan for PA education, utilizing recorded lectures, Zoom webinars, and other online tools. [...]

Something We Live and Breathe
July 18, 2018

On July 2nd, 2018, MEDEX Northwest welcomed 135 new students to the UW Medicine PA Education Program. Fully 32 percent were racial minorities, an important achievement for the school and the future of healthcare. In this increasingly diverse country, it’s important that providers reflect the patient population. [...]

MEDEX Incoming Class 2017: Healthcare As A Team Sport
July 6, 2017

Since 1969 MEDEX Northwest has admitted the best and brightest to its physician assistant program. This year saw 130 new individuals set aside the next two years of their lives to prepare for their place in the US healthcare system. Each was selected for their unique background and promise. [...]

Making Things A Bit Easier For Everyone
November 16, 2016

For a second year now MEDEX PA didactic students have joined UW School of Dentistry students in the Mount Vernon, WA community to volunteer their services at a free dental clinic. This is interprofessional education at work, an opportunity for both groups to learn about one another in the service [...]

MEDEX Tacoma Foot Project
October 18, 2016

Since 2014, the physician assistant students of the MEDEX Northwest Tacoma site have sponsored a homeless health project in partnership with Urban Grace Church. The objectives are simple: healthcare professionals tend to the feet of people who spend much of their days walking on the streets. MEDEX students get to [...]

Hey, Maybe I Can Do That
February 23, 2016

Coming from a disadvantaged background gives Gwen Jackson empathy for others in similar straits. Now, as a MEDEX PA student, she’s working towards a healthcare career in primary care that will make the best use of her self-motivation and desire to be of service. [...]

The Well-Child Workshop
February 2, 2016

Each year MEDEX Northwest offers the Well-Child Workshop to its physician assistant students across four sites. In this short video, faculty member Lois Thetford, PA-C, describes the thought and care that goes into teaching pediatric exams. PAs in training learn how to interact with children as patients through all stages [...]

Engagement: Primary Relationships & Primary Care
March 10, 2014

What does it take to become a physician assistant? Apart from the basic clinical skills of medicine, one must cultivate trusting relationships with the patients. During their first year at MEDEX Northwest, PA students learn the necessary clinical skills in the classroom setting— taking a medical history, and conducting medical [...]