The increasingly acrimonious debate between the two institutions was described as a "feud" in media reports and state senator Andy Hill chastised the two schools for forcing the legislature to "become the parent in this dispute.

"[4][5][6] Confusion created by the unexpected resignation of UW president Michael K. Young, however, largely muted the University of Washington's opposition to the project.

[8] In February 2016, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) granted the school candidate status, the first in a multistep process toward accreditation.

[14] After returning to the Spokane campus in the fourth week, students begin their first curriculum block, anatomy and histology.

Students split their time between classroom instruction, cadaver lab, and self-directed learning through weekly small group case-based-learning sessions.