National AHEC Organization

🎉 Northeast Oregon AHEC celebrated 30 years of MedQuest Health Career Exploration Camp this June.   Since its inception, MedQuest camps have impacted 1,160 students in counties across Oregon. Campers participate in job shadows, simulations in the nursing skills lab, hands-on skill building and near-peer connection. Data shows that over 70% of MedQuest campers go on to pursue careers in the healthcare field, with about half of those participants choosing careers in nursing. One participant said “My favorite part was making connections in the fields that I want to pursue and being able to shadow EMTs and paramedics and pick their brains about how I should approach my own education and training. I’m very grateful for these shadow opportunities that I wouldn’t have known were available without this camp. It really opened my eyes and gave me confirmation that I really am interested in this field."   💙💚 Check out the video below to learn more about this great camp: https://lnkd.in/gakZiwSt

🎉 Foothills AHEC celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Foothills AHEC Pathway to Med School Program! The Pathway to Med School (PTMS) program is for undergraduate pre-med students interested in becoming a Georgia primary care physician. Each summer, the camp’s 8 students complete over 180 hours’ worth of primary care clinical shadowing opportunities, community-based research, and instructional sessions. Since the program’s inception in 2015, 80 students have graduated from the program. 47 of those have matriculated to medical school with another 20 applying in the upcoming cycles. 💙💚 Check out the video below to learn about this awesome program! https://lnkd.in/g7R-hESk

This July 22-24, NAO will send Chelsey Palmer RN BSN LSN and @Mike Anderson to Washington D.C. for advocacy training and Capitol Hill visits. Chelsey and Mike were chosen for this advocacy trip from a pool of AHEC Alumni/Advocate member candidates. The Alumni/Advocate membership community is for individuals who have been served by an AHEC in the past and wish to continue to serve and strengthen the AHEC mission through advocacy and continued outreach. Chelsey started her AHEC journey with the #AHECScholars program Kent State University-Turnbull and was Eastern Ohio AHEC Scholar of the Year in 2021. Today, she works as a registered nurse with McDonald Local School District in McDonald, OH. “I will use this opportunity to better serve my community as I continue to fight alongside my colleagues and NAO for lasting resolution to healthcare inequities and disparities, particularly those that exist in rural and underserved populations,” Palmer said. Joining Palmer is AHEC Scholar Mike Anderson. Mike is a medical student at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine. As an AHEC Scholar, Mike has demonstrated a passion for medical leadership and a dedication to dismantling health inequities through grassroots initiatives. “The work AHEC does is indispensable in bridging the gaps in our state and national healthcare programs and addresses the unique needs of underserved communities. By elevating the importance of AHECs at higher levels of government, I believe we can make significant strides in improving healthcare access and outcomes for all,” Anderson said. To learn more, 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gtmupZGe

Another great summer camp! Northeast Kentucky Area Health Education Center partnered with ST JOSEPH HOSPITAL MOUNT STERLING to provide medical professionals to guide students through specific trainings, tours, and more. #ahec #careersinhealth #summercamp

Last week, Andrew Fickert returned to OhioAHEC's CampMed as a guest presenter. A camper in 2013, today, he is a third-year medical student at the University of Toledo College of Medicine & Health Sciences. 🔗 to learn more about his story as well as this year’s CampMed: https://lnkd.in/gfDfn72y PHOTO CREDIT: THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH

Did you know that 247,092 students participated in AHEC pathway programs in 2022-2023? Through AHEC programming, these students gained exposure to primary healthcare professions like: ·     Medicine ·     Dentistry ·     Pharmacy ·     Nursing ·     And more One main way that AHECs teach about these professions is through summer camps. AHEC summer camps ·     Feature doctors and nurses teaching medical procedures ·     Include hospital and clinic tours ·     Teach the educational path to various medical careers In the coming weeks, we’ll highlight the great work our AHEC summer camps to do encourage the next generation towards health profession careers. 🔗 to learn more about AHEC pathway programs: https://lnkd.in/gDspjDiY

📣 Planning is underway for the 2025 NAO Biennial Conference! The AHEC mission is to strengthen and diversify the healthcare workforce, especially in rural and medically underserved communities. Today, the 300 AHECs in the United States serve 44 states and six U.S. territories. If you know of potential sponsors who share in our mission and would like to sponsor our conference, please visit 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gnFNu4MM

A life-saving surgery inspired Susan Regan to become a nephrology nurse. Born with renal issues, Susan received her first kidney transplant at age 11. Fourteen years later, her body rejected the kidney, and she was on dialysis for eight years before receiving her second transplant in June 2015. 💚💙 Fueled by a life motto to “never give up,” Susan joined the #AHECScholars for support on her professional journey to become a nurse. As part of the Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars program, Susan attended community-wide health fairs and specialized trainings. She credits AHEC Scholars with increasing her awareness of health disparities in her community and encouraging her to ask more in-depth questions of patients to help treat underlying conditions, and not just symptoms. Susan graduated from Georgia Highlands College in May and has accepted a job with Fresenius Medical Care at an outpatient dialysis clinic.   She says, “I look forward to sharing my journey and motto while giving hope to the patients I care for.”   🌟 Congratulations, Susan! You have achieved so much already, and you will make an incredible nurse!

🗣️ “The physician shortage that we have long feared and warned was on the horizon—it’s already here and it’s hitting every corner of this country, urban and rural, with the most direct impact hitting families with the highest needs and the most limited means." AMA President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH. Every day, AHECs across the country work to expand the healthcare workforce, especially in rural and underserved communities. Learn how 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gHrtWfSp