AHEC Scholars

• Get paid! Scholars will receive a $1,000 stipend ($500 in each year of the program).
• Increased competitiveness for rural incentive grants and employment. 

• Network with other AHEC Scholars across Idaho and the nation
• Engage with the National AHEC Organization
• Interact with healthcare professionals and create an invaluable network for your future career

• Professional development opportunities that complement your academic program 
• Dedicated coordinators to guide and mentor you through the program
• A nationally recognized, HRSA endorsed digital badge and certificate of completion 
• Recognition as an AHEC Scholar can distinguish you from others in the competitive healthcare field

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**

For the 2024-2026 cohort, Year One runs from the date of acceptance through June 30, 2025

• Attend an orientation and networking event in November 2024
• Participate in 8 interactive professional development sessions
  
  • 90-minute sessions will be held on Zoom, Wednesday evenings, January 2025 - March 2025
• Complete 10 hours of self-paced learning.
  • A menu of options will be provided and/or your own elective coursework may qualify if it aligns the core topics 
• Complete 40 hours of Clinical/Experiential learning 
  • Must be with a rural and/or underserved setting that uses interprofessional, team-based care
  • Your academic program’s required clinical hours may qualify
• Complete an end-of-year survey
• Receive $500

For the 2024-2026 cohort, Year Two runs July 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026

• Participate in 8 interactive professional development sessions
  • 90 minutes on Zoom, Wednesday evenings, September 2025 - October 2025
• Complete 10 hours of self-paced learning      
  • a menu of options will be provided and/or elective coursework you complete through your academic program may qualify if it aligns with one or more of the core topics
• Complete 40 hours of clinical/experiential learning
  • your academic program’s clinical hours may qualify if the setting uses a team-based approach to care and is rural or underserved
• Complete an end-of-year survey
• Receive $500 
• 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.