For many University of Washington School of Medicine students, a 699 rotation offers a chance to customize a clinical experience around a specific area of interest. These special assignment electives allow students to complete clinical training at approved sites throughout the WWAMI region, providing hands-on learning opportunities beyond the standard curriculum.
For Alaska WWAMI student Jocelyn Waggoner, that opportunity confirmed exactly where she hopes to build her future.
During a month-long 699 rotation at Norton Sound Regional Hospital last spring, Waggoner experienced the full spectrum of rural family
medicine. In Nome, the western Alaska community best known as the iconic finish line of the Iditarod, she worked alongside family medicine physicians in the emergency department, inpatient service, labor and delivery, and maternal-child health. She also participated in medevac calls, flew on three village retrieval missions to transport critically ill patients from remote clinics, and expanded her procedural experience by learning more about colonoscopies.
“One of my biggest takeaways was seeing the remarkable breadth and depth of practice that family physicians can have in rural Alaska,” Waggoner said. “I learned how to triage patients throughout the region, determine which patients could be managed locally in Nome, and recognize when transfer to Anchorage was necessary. I also gained a greater appreciation for inpatient medicine in rural hospitals, where primary care principles remain integrated into everyday hospital practice.”
Beyond the clinical experience, Waggoner found herself reconnecting with a community that already felt like home. Having spent part of her childhood in an Alaska village and with family living in Nome, she enjoyed time outside the 
hospital with relatives, riding four-wheelers in the mountains and even cross-country skiing directly from the hospital after work.
“What I enjoyed most was becoming part of the community and caring for entire families across multiple settings,” she said. “My long-term goal is to practice rural family medicine in Alaska, and this rotation gave me a much more realistic understanding of what that career looks like. It also helped me identify the specific skills I want to develop during residency so I can be well prepared for
that future.”
Waggoner enthusiastically recommends the experience to other WWAMI students because of its flexibility and the commitment of physician mentors.
“One of its greatest strengths is how customizable the experience is—you can tailor it to your own interests and learning goals. If you demonstrate enthusiasm and initiative, the physicians are incredibly generous with their teaching, and the opportunities to learn are almost limitless. It was inspiring to work alongside family physicians who truly practice full-spectrum medicine while providing outstanding care. Their broad knowledge, clinical adaptability, and commitment to serving their communities were deeply impressive and reinforced why this type of practice is so essential.”
The experience has already shaped her next steps. After finishing medical school, Waggoner recently began her family medicine residency at Full Circle Health in Boise, Idaho, a program that partners with Norton Sound Regional Hospital for resident training. She plans to return to Nome as a resident, continuing to prepare for a career serving rural communities across Alaska.
