AHEC Scholars
About the Texas AHEC East Scholars Program
The Texas AHEC East (TAE) AHEC Scholars Program recruits and trains a diverse group of health professions students from across the TAE service region, creating an interprofessional team of health professionals committed to serving rural and/or underserved communities and the transformation of health care in Texas.
The AHEC Scholars program is a national two-year program for students enrolled in various health professions programs. AHEC Scholars is ideal for students interested in obtaining additional training and team-based clinical experiences working in rural areas and/or with underserved populations. Texas AHEC East accepts 120 students into the program each year with an emphasis on individuals from underrepresented minorities, disadvantaged/rural backgrounds, and first-generation college students. The TAE AHEC Scholars Program strives to improve the diversity and distribution of all health professions while also encouraging students to serve/practice in rural and/or underserved communities in the future.
AHEC Scholars is a program of the National AHEC Organization that is implemented by local, statewide, and regional AHECs. Students complete 40 hours of didactic training and 40 hours of experiential training each year. The AHEC Scholars program is structured around a strong foundation of six core topics.
Core Topics
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.
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 and Supporting Health Professionals
Aims to increase training and development of CHWs and paraprofessionals to be the connector who are able to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health professionals and the community to facilitate access to service and improve health equity, community/population health, and social determinants of health.
Behavioral Health Integration
Promotes the development of integrated primary and behavioral health services to better address the needs of individuals with mental health and substances use conditions.
Social Determinants of Health
Consisting of five key areas (determinants): economic stability, education, social and community context, health and health care, and neighborhood and built environment in regards to how they impact health.
Cultural Competency
Training health care providers to recognize and address the unique cultural, language and health literacy differences across diverse patients and communities to improve individual health.
Current and Emerging Health Issues
Focuses on recognizing and understanding new health concerns across communities and within populations in order to better serve patients and educate community members.
Virtual Learning and Telehealth
Seeks to improve virtual learning and telehealth curricula and community-based experiential training. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all health care systems, hospitals, and clinics to rapidly implement telehealth services, simulation-based technology, and virtual trainings to continue delivering patient care.
Requirements
Students must be currently enrolled in at least a two-year health professions program and must live or study within the Texas AHEC East service region.
Students should be interested in serving underserved and/or rural populations
Students need to be willing and able to complete the duration of the 2 year program including 40 hours of didactic and 40 hours of experiential work per year and a one-time program follow up.
Students must be a permanent resident, national, or citizen of the United States
Benefits
Enhance healthcare knowledge in clinical and community settings
Positively impact underserved communities
Engage with interdisciplinary teams
Gain career development skills
Resume building opportunities
Networking with like-minded healthcare providers
Commencement Recognition
Potential for an annual stipend upon hour completion
How to Apply
Students will apply via Redcap. The application will include biographical information, academic program information, and a personal statement. The personal statement is a maximum of 500 words and should be included before you submit your application.
AHEC Scholars has a rolling application, but we encourage you to apply as early as you can because our cohorts fill up quickly starting in July of each year!
AHEC Scholars Resources
-
Hours Submission
Please submit external didactic and experiential hours here through Redcap (hours completed within Moodle do not need to be re-submitted).
-
Moodle
To access AHEC Scholars modules and other resources, please use the below link to access the Scholars Moodle sign in page.
Current Waco AHEC Scholars
Sophia Abbasali
Heather Adams
Blake Albright
Letitia Aloysius
Gabrielle Briggs
Tamela Brooks
Emilie Bushnell
Sumanpreet Dosanjh
Ellen Ezell
Reagan Heun
Hannah League
Courtnae Love
Alyson Whitefield
Elizabeth Williams
Nikki Bazil