Scholars Program in Rural/Underserved Healthcare- Application Due in Summer

WWAMI AHEC Scholars

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.
  • Field trip (voluntary)

• 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.
  • Field trip (voluntary)
  • 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 health professional program that ends in a certificate or degree that has been approved by HRSA. Criteria is that the degree must mean that you will be able to practice the health profession upon graduating without further education.

• • Last year in Seattle, the program had students from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, PT/OT, communication disorders, Dentistry, PA (MEDEX) and N.D. students from Bastyr.
  • This year, 101 students across Washington and Idaho are enrolled in the program.

Where?

• In-person classes will be held in: Seattle at UWSOM, in Spokane at Eastern Washington University; in Bellingham, WA at Western Washington University; in Moscow, ID at University of Idaho; in Boise, ID at the Meridian Campus of Idaho State University and at Idaho State University in Pocatello, ID.

When?

• Application deadline for the 2020-2022 cohort will be due in late September 2020 for Seattle
• First evening course is January 2021
• Second evening course is September 2021
• Graduation from the program is  May/June 2022

For more information contact:

Stacey L. Morrison, MLIS, MA
Associate Director, WWAMI AHEC Program Office
Office of Rural Programs
University of Washington School of Medicine
Box 3563540
1959 NE Pacific St. E303
Seattle WA 98195
uwahec@uw.edu
PH 206-221-4613

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