AHEC Scholars

To be eligible for the AHEC Scholars program in North Idaho, you must:

• Be a health professions student enrolled in an approved program (see "Approved Disciplines")
• Be in good academic standing in your program (if you are applying after your first semester)
• Be two years from program or degree completion (exception: medical students may apply in year one of their MD or DO program)
• Commit to a two-year AHEC Scholars activity agenda
• Intend to enter directly into the health professions workforce when you graduate*
• Be a citizen of the United States or a foreign national having in your possession a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States
• Agree to be contacted with a survey one year after graduation from your degree program

*Pre-health programs that do not lead directly to a practicing health profession upon graduation and lab-based programs are not eligible.

The following courses of study are HRSA approved for the AHEC Scholars program in Idaho:

• Athletic Training (MS)
• Clinical Psychology
• Dietetics/Nutrition (MS)
• Medicine (MD/DO)
• Nurse Practitioner 
• Pharmacy (PharmD)
• Physician Assistant
• Registered Nurse (BSN, AS)
• Social Work (BSW, MSW)

**Updated December 2023 to reflect current eligibility standards from the Health Resources and Services Administration**

• Attend an in-person kick-off celebration in Fall 2023 (likely mid-November)
• Attend a virtual orientation to WWAMI AHEC Scholars in Fall 2023 (likely early November)
• Attend 8 class sessions (1.5 hrs. each) on topics relevant to rural and underserved communities. Classes will be offered in the evening via Zoom. Sessions start January 2024.
• Complete 20 hours of self-paced didactic learning. A menu of options will be provided. 
• Complete 40 hours of community/experiential/clinical learning – your academic program’s clinical hours may apply if the setting is interprofessional and rural and/or underserved.

• Attend 6-8 class sessions (1.5 hrs. each) on topics relevant to interprofessional team dynamics. Year two class sessions will occur Fall 2024 (Sept - Nov) via Zoom.
• Complete 20 hours of self-paced didactic learning. 
• Complete 40 hours of community/experiential/clinical learning – again, your academic program’s clinical hours may apply if the setting is rural and/or underserved.
• Attend an in-person celebration at conclusion of year two classes.
• Receive a nationally recognized, HRSA endorsed certificate upon completion of all program requirements. 

Interprofessional education supports a coordinated, patient-centered model of health care that involves an understanding of the contributions of multiple health professionals.

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 abuse conditions.

Social determinants of health includes five key areas (determinants): economic stability, education, social and community context, health and health care, neighborhoods and built environments – and their impact on health.

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.

Practice transformation aims to support quality improvement and patient-centered care through goal-setting, leadership, facilitation, workflow advancements, measuring outcomes, adapting organizational tools and processes to support team-based models of care delivery.

Current and Emerging Health Issues supports an understanding of and appropriate response to issues that affect specific geographic or demographic populations. Examples include Zika virus, opioid abuse, geographically relevant health issues.

Connecting communities and supporting health professionals aims to increase training and development of CHWs and paraprofessionals to be the connectors 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.

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.