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WWAMI AHEC Scholars – posted 9/25


What is it?

  • An interdisciplinary educational and training program focusing on increasing the diverse, culturally competent healthcare workforce that specializes in rural and underserved areas.
  • It provides you with skills and experiences to better prepare you for work in these areas.
  • It especially seeks to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, rural areas, and racial/ethnic groups that are inadequately represented in health care (but that is not a stipulation for acceptance).
  • The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will identify AHEC Scholar students as having special training and experience with rural and underserved communities.

 

What is the structure?

  • This is a two-year inter-professional program in which you would learn about other disciplines and develop team-based learning and skills that you can take into dental practice.
  • You can take the courses for UW elective credit or no credit/no cost.
  • If you complete the program, you would will receive a certificate of completion.
  • Year One: 
    • Introduction to AHEC Scholars
    • 40 hours per year of community/experiential/clinical work in rural or underserved sites
    • 40 hours of didactics through Rural/Underserved Health Course I (can be online or in-person/on campus). Classes are taught in the evening to best accommodate your schedule.
  • Year Two:
    • 40 hours per year of community/experiential/clinical work in rural or underserved sites
    • 40 hours of didactics through Rural/Underserved Health II (can be online or in-person/on campus). Classes are taught in the evening to best accommodate your schedule.
    • Spring networking event
    • Graduation ceremony

 

What topics are covered? 

  • The core topic areas of this program are:
    • Interprofessional education
    • Behavioral health integration – integrating primary and behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse)
    • Social determinants of health and their impact on your patients’ health.
    • Cultural competency training
    • Practice transformation: goal-setting, leadership, practice facilitation, workflow changes, measuring outcomes, adapting organizational tools and processes to support new team-based models of health care delivery
    • Current and emerging health issues such as Zika virus, pandemic influenza, opioid abuse, and geographically relevant health issues.

 

Who can apply?

You can apply if you are enrolled in a two-year health professional program that ends in a certificate or degree.  We have had the following disciplines apply this year: PT/OT, MEDEX, M.D., N.D., Pharmacy, Public Health, Dentistry, Social Work, Public Health, Doctorate Nursing.

 

How do I apply?

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