Alabama AHEC Network

Alabama Area Health Education Centers

Poised to lead for the future of Alabama Health Care

Advancing the Rural Healthcare Workforce

Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), established by Congress in 1971, help recruit, train, and retain healthcare professionals who serve underserved communities. By connecting academic programs with real community needs, AHECs link students to health careers, support professionals in the field, and help communities access better care.

Delta AHEC strengthens the local healthcare workforce through partnerships with colleges, healthcare providers, and community organizations. Our programs focus on exposure, education, and hands-on training to ensure current and future healthcare professionals are prepared to meet the needs of every community we serve.

Our Mission

At AHEC, we have made it our mission to enhance access to quality healthcare, particularly primary and preventative care, by improving the supply and distribution of healthcare professionals via strategic partnerships with academic programs, communities, and professional organizations.

AHEC SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Increasing opportunities for community-based experiential training within the State of Alabama.

Serve Your Community Better with AHEC Scholars

The Alabama AHEC Scholars Program is a multidisciplinary program that gives health professions students a unique opportunity to practice hands-on training and gain experience providing care in rural or underserved areas.

AHEC Scholars learn as inter-professional teams, completing didactic and clinical training alongside their regular curricula while preparing to work with Alabama’s medically disadvantaged populations.

Eligibility

  • Interest in underserved and/or rural healthcare
  • Currently enrolled in a health professions program with a minimum 2.0 GPA
  • Qualifying health professions:
    • Medicine
    • Physician Assistant
    • Nurse Practitioner
    • Pharmacy
    • Physical Therapy

Benefits

AHEC Scholars will enhance their knowledge and competence in the following core areas:

  • Interprofessional Education (IPE)
  • Behavioral Health Integration
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Cultural Competency
  • Practice Transformation
  • Current and Emerging Health Issues
  • Telehealth
  • Community Health Engagement

About the Program

The Scholars Program is a two-year commitment and consists of 40 hours of online training and 40 hours of team-based service learning per year. Requirements for this program are in addition to a student’s regular coursework required by their degree program. Most instructional material is self-paced study, with some small group facilitated discussions and in-person workshops held in your region with local health professions faculty.

AHEC Scholars engage in team-based clinical experiences providing care to vulnerable and underserved patients in settings like homeless shelters, free clinics, community health centers, health fairs, and more.

A $500 stipend is available per year.

Delta Alabama AHEC Pamphlet