South Carolina AHEC Scholars

Core Topics

All training will be focused around the following core topics:

• Interprofessional Education
• Behavioral Health Integration
• Connecting Communities and Supporting Health Professionals
• Virtual Learning and Telehealth
• Social Determinants of Health
• Cultural Competency
• Practice Transformation

Primary Care and Serving the Underserved

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Committee on Implementing High-Quality Primary Care defines high-quality primary care as "the provision of whole-person, integrated, accessible, and equitable health care by interprofessional teams that are accountable for addressing the majority of an individual's health and wellness needs across settings and through sustained relationships with patients, families, and communities."

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) projects that demand will outstrip the supply of available primary care professionals by 2020 (HRSA online). In South Carolina, all but one county is a full or partial health professions shortage area (PDF). With so many South Carolinians in need of access to health care, the need for health professionals to practice full-scope primary care in rural areas is great. Additionally, recent studies show that rural family physicians have a broader scope of practice than their urban counterparts. Opportunities abound in all areas of primary care, including family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.

The AHEC Scholars program provides students with innovative, interprofessional training and mentoring focused on building the skills and competencies needed to help transform primary care and improve patient care. South Carolina AHEC Scholars will receive a certificate recognizing them as leaders in primary care upon completion, setting them apart during job search and/or subsequent residency match.

To successfully complete the AHEC Scholars Program, students will:

1. Participate in the AHEC Scholars program for 2 years.
2. Complete 40 hours of experiential and 40 hours of didactic activities during each of the two years of the program. Opportunities include:
   • Primary care focused interprofessional simulation activities
   • Partnering with SC primary care leaders on quality improvement initiatives
   • Fieldwork placements/rotations in team-based practice settings
   • Access to online courses focused on the core topics
3. Complete a follow-up evaluation 1 year after exiting the program.

Extensive information about the program is available in the South Carolina AHEC Scholars Handbook (PDF).

Health profession students from the following disciplines/programs are encouraged to apply and participate in AHEC Scholars:

• Dental Medicine
• Master of Social Work
• Medicine (MD/DO)
• Nurse Practitioner
• Occupational Therapy
• Pharmacy
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant Studies

Preference will be given to individuals with/that meet one or more of the following:

• South Carolina resident
• Rural background
• Commitment to a rural lifestyle
• Commitment to primary care
• Underrepresented minority
• Disadvantaged background

Students are eligible to apply to the South Carolina AHEC Scholars Program if accepted/enrolled in a graduate-level health professions education program in South Carolina and are able to participate in and complete 2 years of the AHEC Scholars program preferably coinciding with graduation.

Becoming an AHEC Scholar offers many opportunities and benefits, including:

• Network and receive mentoring opportunities with established leaders in primary care and rural health
• Network with other AHEC Scholars in SC and across the nation
• Stipends available to assist with travel expenses to rural clinical sites
• Increased competitiveness for SC AHEC rural incentive grants
• Certificate recognizing you as an AHEC Scholar and leader in primary care
• Receive preference for innovative team-based clinical fieldwork placements/rotations