AHEC Scholars Graduate Spotlight
AHEC Scholars held their final presentation ceremony in April. Several recent graduates took time out of their busy schedule to speak about their experience as AHEC Scholars in their own words.
Jake Quarles, Central Michigan University College of Medicine
I heard about the AHEC Scholars Program through faculty at our College of Medicine at Central Michigan University. I was aware of what AHEC did through some of our great staff from the Mid-Central Regional Center that assisted with our clerkships and provided great resources. When we were offered the opportunity for the program, it seemed to provide an expansion on everything that I was interested in and found important to the practice of medicine.
During my time with AHEC Scholars, I was able to expand on information that we had already been exposed to and learn a lot more in the different areas that play a role in the patient's lives that we take care of every day. It has allowed me to see a different perspective for many things and will help me better care for my patients in the future.
I will be starting my career as an Emergency Medicine resident this year. I am looking forward to connecting with my patients and putting to use the lessons that I have learned through AHEC.
Katrina Marshall, Ferris State University College of Pharmacy
I heard about the AHEC Scholars Program from previous graduates who also attended FSU's College of Pharmacy. Multiple students have boasted about how beneficial the program's content was while not overloading the course work we already have for pharmacy school. When Ferris did a spotlight on a graduate from the last cohort with a link to apply, I decided to take a chance and see what the program had to offer.
My experience with AHEC Scholars has provided me with an opportunity to network with individuals in different fields and gave me tools and resources to help better care for some of our most vulnerable patient populations, the underserved and rural areas. Seeing how many disciplines have an impact on patient care and where pharmacy can influence better outcomes for patients was incredibly rewarding. I plan to use this knowledge to educate healthcare team members and patients on identifying social determinants of health, utilizing telehealth options, and the biases that can pollute the care we provide.
I begin a PGY-1 residency with Trinity Health Grand Rapids in June to start my career as a hospital pharmacist. While Grand Rapids may not be rural, there are many patients who are uninsured or underinsured and are considered vulnerable or that have to travel from rural areas to get medical services. I look forward to sharing this knowledge with my future coworkers and encourage anyone in the healthcare profession to take time to learn how to best care for this growing population of patients.
Christine Maisano, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
I found out about the AHEC Scholars Program through my medical school. Students who complete the program during their third and fourth years graduate with a distinction called Interprofessional Focus in Community Health. I was excited about this opportunity through AHEC because the organization's mission aligns with my own career goal to provide primary care in rural settings.
I went to medical school already committed to a career in family medicine. The AHEC Scholars Program built out my skills for that path through exposure to important concepts in primary and preventive care such as working within interprofessional teams, cultural humility and CLAS standards, and responding to the opioid epidemic. I also worked directly with other healthcare professional students to develop a quality improvement project, which was good practice for projects that I anticipate as part of my future career.
I am headed to southern Oregon to complete a 3-year family medicine residency with Oregon Health & Science University Cascades East. I intentionally chose a program that emphasizes the unique aspects of rural primary care and trains doctors to provide a broad range of services to that population within an interdisciplinary healthcare team. The AHEC Scholars Program supplemented my school's curriculum with valuable content that will help me to be more effective in my new role as a family medicine resident.