Nuts and Bolts How to Be a Successful AHEC

1. Nuts and BoltsHow to Be a Successful AHEC Glenda Stanley Big Bend AHEC Penny Eubanks West Florida AHEC Kris Wenzel, Central Colorado AHEC Brendan Ashby, NE Minnesota AHEC

2. Purpose Discuss “how to do” the required AHEC Activities First know the community or target audience Know the requirements & Reporting What would be a staffing pattern to achieve the work Offer some tips on successful strategies

3. Objectives At the end of this session, participants will be able to describe the programs below and options for staffing to do the work in the following areas: • Health Careers Promotion • Clinical Training • Recruitment and Retention • Community Enhancement Initiatives • Learning Resource Centers

4. Health Careers Promotion • What community - identify your under-represented populations where maldistribution/ shortage • How are these reported?

5. Goal: Increase representation of diversepopulations & Reduce Shortages in the HC professions • Designed for students K-16 • Provide programming for: Health Career Awareness Health Career Exploration programs Academic Enrichment and other structured programs • Promote entry into and graduation from health career training programs

6. All ages and stages • Elementary & Middle School Programs: Curricula to introduce the health careers Curricula to get kids interested in science and math • High School Programs Introduction to Health Careers Shadowing programs Mentoring programs • College Programs Tutorials Introduction to Health Careers

7. Tips • Learn what works in each community Identify level of demand by the HC Agency and their connections with HC education programs-Clarify supply • Collaborate with Dept of Labor and Centers for workforce Development and other data sources • Involvement with community partners- HC agency and HC Education • Key linkages through your AHEC Board of Directors

8. Clinical Training • Target audience: Underserved populations • Who has the requirements?

9. How are you meeting requirements? • Multi-, Inter- and Trans-disciplinary training Conduct at least 10% of MD/DO clinical training in AHEC - supported ambulatory settings remote from the medical school. • Involves Public Health, PA, NP, Behavioral and Mental Health personnel, Nurse-midwives • Primary Care residency • Collaborations with other Safety Net Programs

10. Tips • Recruitment of preceptors and arrangement for student rotation • Involvement with admission committees • Make all arrangements for entire clinical year… OR The school may do the clinical arrangements and AHEC role involves • Provide student housing and logistics • Provide $ support for logistics

11. Recruitment & Retention • Be a part of the solution for Workforce Development in your region--- • National Health Service Corps links • Help partners recruit with new bridges, i.e. Dental Association with Dental School and AHEC

12. Tips • Share what is working- • HC Workforce Readiness Self awareness • Transitions decision-support tool • Pipeline programs • New connections- Local WIB, Dept of Labor data Public-private partnerships, National Coop of Health Networks (NCHN) • HC Workforce Policy Collaborative- Advocacy • HC Workforce Initiative- private foundations

13. Community Enhancement Initiatives • Shared priority Concern • Underserved, under or uninsured> Healthcare Access • Health disparity reduction • Healthcare workforce- R/R and economic development • Chronic Care Disease management/ Public Health • How to show impact? Dashboard of Health

14. Examples • Practitioner recruitment and retention • Continuing education Telecommunications support-> webinars • Preceptor development-> inclusion methods, interface--- and keep “plug in” ($ vs linkages) • Health education • Public Health initiatives-> assessment of community • Advocacy for identified needs-> Healthcare Access • Assistance to local groups; Cancer…

15. Tips • ID Fundable initiatives/ stakeholders • Clinical placement site development= recruitment • Preceptor development=retention and engagement • Neighborhood medical home– & Electronic medical record

16. Learning Resource Center • Partners- Epilepsy, MS, Area Agencies on Aging, and so on. • Target audiences: • Consumers of all ages- healthy behaviors • Primary Care Providers- MD, DO, NP and PA • HC Agencies/ networks • How to show impact?

17. Examples • AHEC Libraries– now virtual • AHEC Digital Libraries--- webinars • Resource Centers Databases Clinical decision-making tools Continuing education sites Electronic books/monographs Electronic full-text journals- Health Careers Linkages Internet sites Reference Tools Teaching/Education materials

18. Tips • CE/CME – use all methods • Priority programming or seasonal- Primary Care Board recertification classes • Database- develop about all Healthcare Careers and all of the Healthcare Career programs in the state- ONLINE programs are popular for rural locations

19. Questions & Answers • Thank you from the NAO Education Committee for you time and attention • We look forward to working with you more! Website: www.nationalahec.org