Clinical Rotation – Centralia

Demographic Information

Fitness/recreation areas available in the region:
Yes.  There are many different kinds of outdoor recreation, walking trails, hiking, etc.  The area also has large indoor gyms, sport courts, indoor/outdoor pool, indoor/outdoor tennis courts, rock wall climbing, etc.

Housing:
I would recommend that housing should be obtained in the Centralia/Chehalis area.  Many students have chosen to live in the Olympia area, however this results in much longer commutes for rotations. 

Housing is not that difficult to find in the area.  There are several, relatively new, apartment complexes in the area as well as individual homes available to rent.  Check the local newspaper and/or rental agencies.  Many are found by word of mouth.

Length of time region has been training with PNWU students:
PNWU has had rotations in the Centralia area since 2011.


Preceptor/Rotation Information

4th year electives that have been successful in this region depending on availability:   

4th year electives are currently being done at 4 different sites in our region.  Other electives are available, but so far our students have completed electives at the below locations.

  • Providence Centralia Hospital (Anesthesia, Gastroenterology, Orthopedics, Podiatry, Urology)
  • St. Peter Hospital Olympia (Cardiology, Infectious Disease, Pathology, Sports Medicine)
  • Capital Medical Center Olympia (Emergency Medicine, ENT, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine hospitalist, Oncology, Urology )
  • Mason General Hospital (Internal Medicine Hospitalist, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics)

Number of preceptors credentialed with PNWU to teach CORE rotations:

19 preceptors teach core rotations.

  • Family Medicine-8
  • Internal Medicine-3
  • OB-2
  • OMM-2
  • Psychiatry-2
  • Pediatrics-1
  • Surgery-1
  • Emergency Medicine-2

D.O. preceptors in the region (approx.):  8

M.D. preceptors in the region (approx.): 11

Rotations that may provide inpatient experience:

  • Family Medicine
  • Internal Medicine
  • OB/GYN
  • Psychiatry
  • Surgery

It depends on the rotation how much time will be an inpatient experience.

Rotation challenges in the region based on availability:
At this time, all core rotations are available in the region in sufficient quantity for assigned Centralia students. 

Do students/learners from other schools rotate in the region?
Yes

Is there integration of other schools with PNWU students?
There are medical students from UW and from Western, etc., as well as students from other disciplines. You may be placed on a team with a student from a different school.  You are most likely to work with students from other schools in psychiatry, pediatrics, and family medicine. On other rotations you will be the only student.

Residencies available in the region that PNWU students are involved in (didactics, rotations, etc.):
Yes, there are two residency programs in the Centralia region.  Both are family medicine residency programs.

  • Providence St. Peter Family Medicine Residency Program in Olympia.
  • Chehalis Family Medicine Rural Track Residency Program in Chehalis.

Opportunities to practice OMM:
Most preceptors allow students to practice OMM if there is time during the patient encounter.


Didactics Information

Didactic Information:
Didactics are held in a conference room on the Providence Centralia Hospital Campus.  Didactics are every Friday from 1pm – 4pm.  It is an interactive learning experience.  Sometimes we have guest speakers or patients.  There are periodic OMM sessions.  There are always student case presentations and discussions.

Other learning opportunities in addition to PNWU didactics include:
None provided

Core (3rd year) rotations available within driving distance (1 hour or 50 miles) of the didactics site?
No


Additional Information

Region Strengths:

  • Great Preceptors
  • Great People
  • Great Area

Why might a student choose this region over another?
We have great preceptors who love to teach students!  Because we are small, our students usually get more direct hands on experience.

Student/Resident Information:
Number of OMS3 Students Rotating in Region:   8
Number of OMS4 Students Rotating in Region:   8
Alumni in Residency Programs (Washington totals):   152
Alumni practicing in the regions (Washington totals):   86
% of PNWU-COM matriculations from regions (Washington totals):   50%​​​​​​​

Additional information:
Our farthest rotations within our region is in South Bend at Willapa Harbor Hospital, which is about 60 miles west of Centralia.  That location has both family medicine and emergency medicine.  PNWU does provide housing for that rotation site.

We also do rotations (internal medicine, surgery, and emergency medicine) at Mason General Hospital, which is 47 miles north of Centralia.

Links to clinical rotation sites referenced:

https://washington.providence.org/locations-directory/c/centralia-hospital#llaid=6445

https://washington.providence.org/locations-directory/s/st-peter-hospital#llaid=6457

https://capitalmedical.com/about-us/

https://www.masongeneral.com/

https://washington.providence.org/locations-directory/s/st-peter-hospital/for-healthcare-professionals/family-medicine-residency

http://willapaharborhospital.com/

https://www.masongeneral.com/


Regional Staff

Regional Assistant Dean/Site Administrator:
Brenda Polite, MD
bpolite@pnwu.edu
(360) 269-1886