Program Components
1. Foundational Core Topics
Covered via Required Degree-Program Coursework
We want to recognize you for the important training you will complete through your degree or certificate program’s required core coursework. With this in mind, Utah AHEC has reviewed the core coursework from all degree and certificate programs listed on the Eligible Students Page to ensure that they cover the learning objectives from all Core Topic Areas. See below for the list of the AHEC Scholars Learning Objectives by Core Topic Area.
REQUIRED CORE TOPICS
INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
Interprofessional Education (also known as interdisciplinary training) supports a coordinated, patient-centered model of health care that involves an understanding of the contributions of multiple health care professionals.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTEGRATION:
Behavioral Health Integration promotes the development of integrated primary and behavioral health services to better address the needs of individuals with mental health and substance abuse conditions.
Social Determinants of Health:
Social Determinants of Health includes five key areas (determinants): economic stability, education, social and community context, health and health care, and neighborhood and built environment, and their impact on health.
Cultural Competency:
Cultural Competency seeks to improve individual health and build healthy communities by training health care providers to recognize and address the unique culture, language, and health literacy of diverse consumers and communities.
Current & Emerging Health Issues:
Current and Emerging Health Issues supports an understanding of and appropriate response to the current and emerging health issues that affect specific geographic or demographic populations. These might include Zika virus, opioid abuse, low HPV vaccination rates, obesity, and air pollution.
Practice Transformation:
Practice Transformation aims to fully support quality improvement and patient-centered care through goal-setting, leadership, practice facilitation, workflow changes, measuring outcomes, and adapting organizational tools and processes to support new team-based models of care delivery.
Connecting Communities &Supporting Health Professionals:
Aims to improve community health integration and support for health care professionals in their practice.
Virtual Learning & Telehealth:
Didactic education will take place through virtual learning sessions; telehealth in the healthcare setting will be covered.
2. Advanced Core Topics
Supplemental AHEC Scholars Activities
We want to recognize you for the important training you will complete through your degree or certificate program’s required core coursework. With this in mind, Utah AHEC has reviewed the core coursework from all degree and certificate programs listed on the Eligible Students Page to ensure that they cover the learning objectives from all Core Topic Areas. See below for the list of the AHEC Scholars Learning Objectives by Core Topic Area.
Required Cohort Activities
As an AHEC Scholar, you will join with a cohort of fellow health professions students in a number of exclusive activities. It is vital for all AHEC Scholars to understand how important they are as a member of the future workforce – and so we have planned required cohort activities that connect you with students outside of your discipline who share your passion AND professionals that want to mentor the next generation of health workforce. All AHEC Scholars are expected to attend all required cohort activities for both years of their participation in the program.
| REQUIRED COHORT ACTIVITIES | |
|---|---|
| Attend Annual Fall AHEC Scholars Mentor Dinner | Tuesday, October 10, 2023 6:00pm - 8:00pm |
| Read Assigned 2023–2024 Book Club “Once I Was You” *Text will be provided to all AHEC Scholars | Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 (estimated time commitment: 6 hours/semester) |
| Attend Semi-Annual “Book Club” Meetings | |
| November 27, 2023 7:00pm - 8:00pm | |
Elective Activities
It is important for all AHEC Scholars to learn about the Core Topic Areas in an applied, community-focused setting. As an AHEC Scholar, you will be expected to complete 22 additional hours of training per year from a list of approved didactic activities (see below for a sample of approved applied didactic activities). These activities meet learning objectives of at least 1 Core Topic Area and provide local community context. The Utah AHEC will make sure you stay up-to-date throughout your time in the AHEC Scholars Program on all of the exciting training opportunities in your region that meet this requirement.
If you have any questions about how you can add to this approved list of applied didactic activities, please contact Utah AHEC.
| ELECTIVE ACTIVITIES (Complete 22 Hours Annually from an Approved List. Please Note the List Below is only a Sample of Approved Applied Didactic Activities) |
|
|---|---|
| Center for Research on Migration & Refugee Integration Lunch and Learn Series | Center for Research on Migration & Refugee Integration Refugee Women’s Committee |
| Utah Public Health Student Ambassadors Presentations | Utah Rural Outreach Program Presentations |
| School of Medicine Student Global Health Conference | Global Public Health Grand Rounds |
| Office of Health Equity and Inclusion Patient Voice Series | Public Health Disaster Conference |
| Rural Health Association of Utah Conference | AHEC HPV Vaccination Trainings |
| Health Insight Quality Improvement Conference | Project ECHO |
3. Applied Clinical Practicum
Covered via Required Degree-Program Training
We want to recognize you for making the choice to complete your degree or certificate program’s required field training in an underserved rural or urban setting. AHEC Scholars must complete at least 80 hours of field training that meets all requirements for experiential training listed below. With this in mind, Utah AHEC has verified that all degree and certificate programs listed on the Eligible Students Page facilitate opportunities for students to meet the AHEC Scholars experiential training expectations.
Experiential Training
Degree-specific required field training meets experiential training requirements when all of the following are met:
- Takes place in underserved rural and urban communities (designated Health Professions Shortage Area [HPSA] or Medically Underserved Area [MUS])
- Recognizes and values inter-professional education (IPE)
- At least 80 hours in length