Wy’east Medicine is a tuition-free post-baccalaureate health education Pathway for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) learners who are passionate about becoming physicians. We recruit nationwide and our scholars receive a monthly stipend throughout the 10-month Pathway.
The Wy’east Post-Baccalaureate Pathway is designed to help American Indian and Alaska Native scholars thrive in their journey through medicine. Wy’east provides a holistic, culturally-specific framework for the successful recruitment, training, retention, and graduation of AI/AN learners pursuing medical school.
"We help our scholars realize their full potential. We value the Indigenous knowledge they bring."
– Dr. Allison Empey, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Director of Wy'east
Wy'east Pathway Objectives
To build upon scholars’ knowledge in core topic areas through rigorous coursework (e.g., biological sciences, epidemiology, research methods) and MCAT preparation
To amplify scholars’ strengths and resilience by imparting tools, skills, and resources that facilitate academic and personal self-efficacy and success (e.g., evidence-based study methods)
To promote scholars’ sense of cultural connectedness and community through immersion in a rich Indigenous community, Indigenous coursework, and cultural activities
Medical School Acceptance
Two medical schools participate in Wy’east, with each school admitting a limited number of Scholars to the Pathway.
One of the most valuable attributes of the Wy’east Pathway is the provision of conditional acceptance or guaranteed acceptance (choice of wording varies by medical school) into the medical school that admitted each scholar into the Pathway.
Both of these provisions means that scholars will enter their admitting medical school as a first-year medical student provided that they (1) successfully complete the Pathway, and (2) meet final matriculation requirements of their admitting school.
Wy'east Pathway Overview
The Wy’east Pathway takes place over 10 months, from mid-September to early June of each year. The Pathway is designed to be culturally rooted uniquely for AI/ANs to prepare and familiarize them with concepts and spaces they will be navigating in medical school.
The 10-month Pathway itself is housed within the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence (NNACoE) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon.
Eligibility & Admissions Criteria
In addition to meeting general eligibility requirements, Wy’east scholars will be expected to meet the admissions criteria for the Medical School that will admit them to the program. Scroll to see Wy’east Eligibility Requirements and specific Admissions Criteria.
* Please note due to OHSU policy, all Wy’east scholars must submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination as part of the immunization requirements. If you have questions about this policy, please email wyeast@ohsu.edu
Eligibility Requirements
Wy’east is intended for individuals who were not accepted to medical school or who do not possess a qualifying MCAT score for medical school. To be eligible for the Wy’east Pathway, the following criteria apply:
Be a citizen or descendant of a federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native Tribe (see FAQs page for further details)
Four-year degree from an accredited college or university
Minimum AMCAS GPA of 2.60-2.80*
Have previously taken the MCAT. ** MCAT Requirements vary by admitting school:
OHSU: Must have previously taken the MCAT and received a score of 490 or higher
WSU: If your MCAT score combined with your undergraduate overall GPA does not currently meet one of the three combination thresholds outlined on our website, your current highest composite MCAT score must be no more than 7 points below the needed percentile rank to meet the GPA/MCAT combination threshold. You can view current percentile ranks for the MCAT here.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to have previously applied to medical school, or
Please note: All scholars accepted into Wy’east must also pass a drug screening, federal background check, and submit immunization records prior to entering the Pathway
* GPA minimum varies by admitting school; see Wy’east Admissions Criteria for details.
** If you plan to take the MCAT by May 16, 2024, but don’t have your score back while applying, please contact us at wyeast@ohsu.edu.
Wy’east Admissions Criteria
The admissions criteria for Wy’east scholars varies by medical school. To be considered for admission into the Wy’east Pathway by each school, the following criteria apply:
View the GPA/MCAT combination thresholds on the WSU Website.
Wy'east Application Timeline
Application Process
The primary application and secondary application are completed online, and your transcripts, recommendation letters, and documentation of tribal affiliation should be scanned and emailed as electronic attachments to wyeast@ohsu.edu.
A complete application consists of five components:
Primary application. All applicants complete and submit an online primary application, regardless of the medical school through which you apply. The primary application opens on April 1st and closes at 11:59pm on May 10th, 2024. The primary application is completed once, regardless of whether you apply to Wy’east through one or more participating medical schools.
Secondary application. Applicant’s primary application submissions will be reviewed by the two participating medical schools. Each school will invite applicants (via email) to complete a secondary application, provided that applicants appear to meet the school's initial requirements. This means that you may receive invitations to complete up to two separate secondary applications. Each secondary application is completed and submitted online. Please note that secondary applications are required for consideration for an interview. The deadline for submitting the secondary application is 11:59pm on May 17th, 2024.
Unofficial transcripts. Unofficial transcripts from all accredited undergraduate and graduate-level programs must be submitted (Please note: WSU ESF COM only requires undergraduate transcripts). The deadline for receipt of unofficial transcripts is 11:59pm on May 17th, 2024. Your name and the name of the college or university must be clearly printed on the transcripts that you send. Transcripts with handwritten names or University names, and transcripts that are difficult to read will not be accepted.
Documentation of affiliation with a federally recognized Tribe. Forms of acceptable documentation:
A copy of your tribal membership card or identification card, OR
A letter from your tribal government attesting to your citizenship or descendance
Letters of recommendation. A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required. You may submit up to four letters of recommendation. Please ask your recommenders to email your letters directly to wyeast@ohsu.edu with your name in the subject line of the email.
*We recommend that you first view the secondary application and take note of the questions, prepare your responses in a separate document, and then copy/paste your responses to these questions into the application to avoid the application timing out prior to completion.
Submitting Documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, and documentation of tribal affiliation should be scanned and emailed as electronic attachments to:
wyeast@ohsu.edu
Though we prefer that materials be sent via email, you may mail materials.
Attention: Wy’east Pathway
Oregon Health & Science University
Northwest Native American Center of Excellence
Mail Code: CL2N
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd
Portland, OR 97239
*Mailed materials (including recommendation letters) must be postmarked by May 3rd so that they are received in time for proper consideration of your application. Wy’east is not responsible for lost materials.
Screening, Interviewing and Acceptance
Your primary application responses will be provided to each of our participating medical schools. These programs will independently assess whether you meet the requirements for a secondary application. If you do, they will email you an invitation to complete a secondary application directly. We recommend checking your spam and junk folders frequently to ensure receipt of a secondary application invitation.
In late May, all complete applications will be reviewed by each medical school that received a secondary application. Selected applicants will be invited to participate in an interview day, which will take place in early to mid-June. Each medical school makes independent decisions about who to invite for an interview.
Interview days will be conducted virtually and each medical school will hold interviews on a designated day. Please tentatively reserve early to mid-June on your calendar for interviews.
The results of interview day will be reviewed by the Wy’east Admissions committees at each medical school. Each of these committees will independently decide who to accept into the Wy’east Pathway, and will reach out directly to notify their applicants of acceptance.
If you are accepted to the Wy’east Pathway by more than one medical school, you will be asked to choose one school. Each school has a limited number of funded scholar seats, and one individual may not occupy multiple seats.
Successful Completion of Wy'east and Matriculation into Medical School
Successful completion of the Wy’east Pathway includes, but is not limited to:
Attending all classes with no unexcused absences
Satisfactory completion of all coursework and quizzes
Obtaining a passing score during all end-of-block exams, and
Conscientiousness, courtesy and respect in all aspects of pathway activities.
In addition, each medical school has their own criteria for matriculation.
Note that these criteria may differ from Wy’east admission criteria:
View current percentile ranks for the MCAT HERE.
Have specific questions or want to learn more?
Contact us at wyeast@ohsu.edu.
