What is AHEC?
Area Health Education Centers, better known as AHECs, are academic and community partnerships that address healthcare workforce issues. CommUnityCare currently hosts Texas AHEC East – Capital Region which collaborates with organizations and educational institutions to improve the supply, distribution, retention, and training of varied health professionals in medically underserved areas.
Our activities include:
- Promoting health careers to high school students
- Enhancing the healthcare workforce quality with its AHEC Scholars program
- Supporting rural/undeserved clinical rotations for health professions students
- Offering academic enrichment opportunities for students planning to enter the healthcare field
- Providing healthcare professional development
Why AHEC?
Because…
- Too few students enter a career in health care
- Too few health care professionals choose employment in underserved areas
- Too few racial and ethnic minorities and underprivileged people choose careers in the health workforce
- The population does not appropriately use the existing health care resources
- Divisions exist between the missions of health profession training programs and community needs
AHEC Scholars
The AHEC Scholars Program is a 2-year program for current health profession students interested in gaining additional training and team-based clinical experiences working in rural areas and/or with underserved populations. It requires 40 hours of didactic learning and 40 hours of experiential learning each year. A few notes:
- This program supplements students’ existing health professions programs
- Participation commitment is for 2 years and culminates in completion or graduation from a certificate or degree program
- Students must have at least 2 years remaining in their degree program prior to graduation
For more information on AHEC or AHEC Scholars, please visit our website.
AHEC Scholars Flyer: Download The file below
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