MultiCare and Pacific Northwest University partnership to expand education for health care workers

MultiCare Health System and Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences announced today that they are working together to expand education opportunities for students pursuing health careers as one way to meet the growing demand for health care professionals in our region.

The work will focus on a range of health careers including nurses, physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists and more.

“MultiCare is committed to taking care of the growing communities across the Pacific Northwest,” said Bill Robertson, MultiCare President and CEO. “To do that, we need to ensure we have highly trained health care workers ready to join us in our work. This partnership with PNWU will help students interested in health careers get the right training to prepare them for the future.”

MultiCare and PNWU will also focus on improving the health and wellness in the region with an emphasis on community and rural health care. Together, they will work on education models that advance the shared desire to move toward population health.

“The power of our combined efforts exceeds what we can accomplish individually,” explained Dr. Michael Lawler, president of PNWU. “We are working to transform community health, and we can’t do that alone. This partnership expands our capacity to fulfill our collective mission.”

The two organizations will:

• Provide more rotations in clinical settings to give students increased exposure to health care environments and to enhance their learning opportunities. This will include more time in hospitals to help them understand how hospitals are run.
• Increase access to graduate medical education for residents to encourage them to stay in our area to complete their training. Many residency graduates remain in the same community as their residency training.
• Improve health technology training so students are proficient in electronic health record and telemedicine platforms. Telemedicine is a key component of the future of health care and a valuable tool in better serving rural and underserved communities.

This partnership builds on an established foundation. MultiCare and PNWU have been working together for several years on medical education. Medical students from the university train at East Pierce Family Medicine and Tacoma Family Medicine and many have transitioned to employment with our organization. With this new partnership, MultiCare will be able to ensure that even more students receive the right training to best meet the needs of the communities we serve.