Mid-Central Regional Center Update
Mid-Central AHEC Health Education Program Offerings Continue with Innovation and Virtual Technologies
The Mid-Central Area Health Education Center is utilizing virtual technology systems and reimagined processes to continue delivering traditionally held health career education programs including the sixth annual Health Careers Pipeline Program (HCPP) and Fall Interprofessional Education (IPE) Workshop.
This year's Fall Health Career Pipeline Program is being provided to 9th and 10th grade high school students in the central region of the state by Mid Central AHEC staff and four Central Michigan University (CMU) College of Medicine student facilitators. The program strives to provide exposure and education to students from medically underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. While participating in virtual engagement opportunities, the 17 high school participants are exposed to a variety of health career fields, leadership characteristics and college preparation all while being mentored by 23 Central Michigan University undergraduate students pursing health career programs. The nine-week program welcomes health care professionals, students and regional organizations to share their expertise and inspire the next-generation considering careers in the healthcare field.
The Fall Interprofessional Educational Workshop is a joint effort of CMU College of Medicine, CMU Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, Mid Michigan College Nursing Program, and Ferris State University College of Pharmacy. The collaborative brings together students from physician assistant, speech language pathology, audiology, public health, nursing, therapeutic recreation, pharmacy, social work and medical programs to learn more about one another's respective fields and understand how each role is critical to effective patient care. Mid-Central AHEC staff assists by providing technology support and facilitation of activities during the virtual event.
Conferencing and participation systems like Zoom and Poll Everywhere have allowed for these programs to transition from in-person programs to virtual offerings. While the program management for staff takes on a different look, these tools allow for continued engagement and health career education content to be provided to students across the region at the high school, college and graduate levels.
Mid-Central AHEC Flexes its Community and Economic Development Expertise to Support Health Professions Students in Clinical Rotations
AHECs nationally are known for their deep community connections and expertise in community engagement. The Mid-Central AHEC is no exception and has completed over 100 Community Profiles for third year medical students participating in six month clinical rotations around the state. As part of a team in partnership with the CMU medical school developing and expanding Comprehensive Community Clerkship sites, the Mid-Central AHEC staff requested copies of community profiles where students were to be placed for six months during their third year. Upon learning these were not available, the Mid-Central AHEC went to work.
AHEC staff developed Community Profiles with standardized formats that were created to provide important information for students living primarily in rural communities while in their clerkship rotations. The profiles were community specific with richly detailed and heavily researched information to deliver the most current access to housing options, dining availability, best grocery shopping outlets, recreational opportunities, tourist attractions and opportunities for community volunteerism, engagement and service learning. Students will be asked to review the information with each rotation so the Community Profiles become a working document, continuously updated by student input.
In addition, the profiles contain information regarding individual clinical practices where students are placed for learning along with their preceptor and the care team. AHEC staff learned many care teams were comprised of a physician, a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner and frequently a behavioral health specialist. This opens up the possibility of identifying future placement opportunities for nursing students and other health professions students seeking sites for clinical rotations.
However, out of all these, housing opportunities were the most difficult to identify. In many rural communities, housing options are primarily private, low-income or senior housing. Finding apartment complexes or rentals that would accommodate medical students for six month leases proved to be challenging. Many times the Mid-Central AHEC staff members called friends, colleagues and family members around the state to identify a family cottage rental or available housing unit for a medical student. As a result, the Mid-Central AHEC contacted its partners in county and state economic development programs for assistance and is now working with a small task force at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, specifically created to identify housing and assist small towns in rental rehab projects for student rotations in clerkship sites. It is exciting to have a state level group supporting the concept of developing housing options for health professions students. The Mid-Central AHEC staff monitors the progress of this group and expands its efforts so health profession students can find housing, become integrated into rural community life and feel like a true part of the community while seeing patients in the local clinic.