AHEC Scholars is a program for health professions students interested in supplementing their education by gaining additional knowledge and experience in rural and/or underserved urban settings. This is a two-year longitudinal program with interdisciplinary curricula to implement a defined set of clinical, didactic, and community-based activities. The Southern KY AHEC Scholars will have the opportunity to work with the Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Care Center for their two years of training.

RHRCC has been providing quality healthcare to Rockcastle and surrounding counties for more than 50 years. The Respiratory Care Center facility offers comfortable, professional, long-term care for a total of 127 ventilator-dependent patients, mostly from Kentucky. In addition, Scholars will be provided with opportunities to participate in didactic and community based learning experiences throughout the AHEC region.

Each of the two years includes the following for a total of 160 hours:

• 40 hours community-based, experiential, or clinical training in rural and/or underserved area
• 40 hours didactic education (focused on six Core Topic Areas)
  • Core Topic Areas
    • Interprofessional Education
    • Behavioral Health Integration
    • Social Determinants of Health
    • Cultural Competency
    • Practice Transformation
    • Current and Emerging Health Issues

• Clinical Aspect

The program will officially begin (tentatively) in August 2019 with an all-day meeting at Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Care Center. Here, Scholars will become acquainted with RHRCC, the AHEC Scholars program, and to each other. Upon completion of this meeting, Scholars will receive their first case study. For the next four weeks, you will complete specific assignments for the case study. Once the first case study assignments are completed, you will be attend a virtual meeting in early September. This virtual meeting will serve two purposes: to give you an opportunity to hear from a guest speaker and to provide you with your second case study. This cycle of case study examination and corresponding work will continue for the four cases throughout the semester.

• Didactic Aspect

Southern KY AHEC Scholars will be provided with a variety of opportunities to gain even more knowledge through educational conferences, service learning, simulations, etc. More details to come on these as they arise.

Possible didactic learning opportunities include:

• Lectures given by health care professionals from our AHEC region
• Video seminars broadcast by the statewide AHEC system
• Online learning modules (CE)

Upon completion of the program requirements, Scholars will receive a stipend of $250 per year to assist in covering expenses.
Being a part of the Southern KY AHEC Scholars program is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so apply today!

FAQs:

-How much time will this program require of me?
We estimate that the AHEC Scholars program will require approximately 2.5 hours per week of your time. The two weeks that include an in-person meeting (one in August and one in December) will require a few more hours, but 2.5 will be a consistent allotment for the rest of the semester.

-Are we given guidelines as to how we spend the stipend?
No. At the end of each year, the $250 is yours to spend as you see fit. However, we do encourage you to spend it responsibly. It is a good idea to cover things like travel expenses for the program, certification or exam fees for your academic program, books, etc.

-How much traveling will I need to do for this program?
The program will require the two in-person meetings at Rockcastle Regional, but aside from that much of the program will be completed via electronic sources. In addition, there will be a multitude of other opportunities for the students to travel throughout the region to learn. This will include events such as educational conferences, simulation experiences, service learning opportunities, etc.

-Can undergraduate AND graduate students apply?
Yes! This program is open to ANY student entering at least a two-year allied health program. Undergraduate and graduate students are all encouraged to apply.