AHEC Scholars Program

AHEC Scholars is a program for health professions students interested in supplementing their education by gaining additional knowledge and experience in rural or underserved urban settings. This program emphasizes a hybrid interdisciplinary curriculum incorporating clinical, didactic, and community-based training. All experiential or clinical training occurs in rural or underserved urban settings. AHEC Scholars Program supports health professions students from various disciplines who originate or want to practice in underserved rural and urban areas.

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Program Requirements

The program duration is two years. Each year, scholars must complete 40 hours of community-based experiential or clinical training in rural or underserved areas and 40 hours of focused didactic education in eight Core Topic Areas (see below). Clinical/experiential learning can be concurrently counted from your current health profession program of study if it meets specific requirements. Scholars must attend an orientation each year of participation and agree to a follow-up evaluation one year after exiting the program.

 

Eligibility

• The program is open to students in disciplines supporting primary health care services delivery in clinical and non-clinical roles.
• Applicable majors include but are not limited to physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nursing, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists, optometrists, public and allied health professionals, or other health professionals, as practicable.
• The Scholars Program particularly interests students from underserved, underrepresented populations and disadvantaged backgrounds. To qualify for the Scholars program, applicants should be two years from completing their current health profession program of study.

 

Application Dates

Applications will open in May 2024.

 

Core Topic Areas

• Behavioral Health Integration
• Connecting Communities and Supporting Health Professionals
• Cultural Competency
• Current and Emerging Health Issues
• Interprofessional Education
• Practice Transformation
• Social Determinants of Health
• Virtual Learning and Telehealth

 

Scholar Benefits

• Practical experience delivering care from an interdisciplinary team-based approach that addresses health disparities in your communities
• Participate in enhanced training experiences related to health care delivery impacting underserved communities
• Potential for current clinical coursework to qualify as AHEC Scholars credit
• AHEC Scholars curriculum can be completed at no cost and complements your existing coursework
• Train on topics of leadership, communication, and critical thinking
• Improved employability skills
• Resume review
• Resume building opportunities
• Job interview preparation
• Introduction to area health organizations
• Receive an official AHEC Scholars certificate and letter of completion