Health Career Recruitment
West AHEC conducts several programs designed to promote student interest in careers in healthcare. These programs include:
HRSA KY AHEC Scholars Program
A health career program for college students, enrolled in a health profession program, to receive additional inter-professional training and certifications designed to help better prepare the student to function in a value based healthcare delivery system.
Groundhog Shadow Day
The groundhog shadow day program provides opportunities for middle school and high school age children of Baptist Health Deaconess employees to shadow their parents and participate in various hands-on health career presentations each ground hog day.
Shadowing Experiences
West AHEC staff members can arrange shadowing experiences for students interested in a future career in healthcare. Shadowing opportunities are usually 4-8 hour experiences designed to help students and adults observe activities of healthcare professionals. Often, these shadowing experiences fulfill application requirements for many healthcare training programs. To arrange a shadowing experience, please contact: Dianne Campbell, Office/Shadowing Coordinator; 270-824-3442.
High School Rural Scholar Program
The High School Rural Scholar Program is for rising high school seniors. Scholars are selected by each participating county's (Webster, Hopkins, Caldwell, Muhlenberg and McLean) Health Career Advisory Council. Each council consists of community leaders who review the applications and select the students for the program. Potential scholars submit a written statement, interest in a health career, interest in returning to a rural community as a health care provider and through an interview process. High School Rural Scholars have the opportunity to shadow health professionals and complete learning activities to strengthen STEM courses.
Summer Assistant Program
The Summer Assistant Program provides opportunities for college age students in pre-professional healthcare related college programs to gain valuable experiences working in the Emergency Room and/or the Operating Room, Pharmacy, or Therapy at a local hospital and help with AHEC summer programs. Position availability varies, aims to match the student’s area of study and is based on yearly grant funding. Applications are available each spring.
Prematriculation Program
The Prematriculation Program is a 3-week summer program in Madisonville for rising first year medical students at U of L. During the program, students are assigned to area physicians for shadowing experiences, are exposed to classroom activities that include medical case studies, research, and discussions about health care needs in rural communities all designed to help better prepare them for medical school.
Preclinical Program
The Preclinical Program is a 3-week summer experiences in Madisonville for rising second year medical students at U of L. As part of the program, students are involved in shadowing experiences, attend hands on learning modules and case discussions with local faculty and physicians and participate in community health care assessments, all helping to better prepare them for medical school.
Health Career Guides
The West AHEC has new updated materials regarding scholarships for students pursuing careers in health care and updated information on colleges and universities that offer health career programs.