We offer a variety of opportunities to both clinical and non-clinical health students and professionals.
PRE-COLLEGE STUDENTS
For youth, we provide pipeline programs, mentorship opportunities and job shadowing.
YOUNG DOCTORS CLUB is a specialized health career club for middle school and high school students who are interested in a career in medicine. The club offers UIC Urban Medicine students an opportunity to teach and mentor young students. Club participants study a variety of science topics, gain dissection skills, learn to use a microscope, and practice injection skills. Each year, as a culminating activity, they organize a health fair and present posters on a variety of health topics. Contact us or the Urban Program Office to participate.
JOB SHADOWING provides learning opportunities in community-based settings to high school sophomores and juniors. Chicago AHEC strives to provide individuals interested in the health profession with a comprehensive understanding of the health care workplace. Contact us to set up a shadowing experience and see if a career in health care is for you. [note]
COLLEGE LEVEL HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS
We provide professional experiences and research opportunities to students and health professionals including mentoring relationships, research opportunities, job shadowing, practicum experiences, soft-skill development, and employment leads. We also offer opportunities to participate in scientific presentations, community outreach, program development, program evaluation, community education, and cross-cultural exposure.
JOB SHADOWING is not only for those considering a health career. Many students continue to shadow to learn more about the field and make connections with professionals who might be their colleagues in the future. We can help arrange shadowing experiences through partnerships with hospitals, local clinics and other health care facilities. Contact us to set one up. [note]
AHEC SCHOLARS is a two-year program for students who are committed to improving health care in rural and underserved communities. It uniquely blends community-based experiential opportunities with online training on key topics such as cultural competency and social determinants of health. Being an AHEC Scholar gives students the opportunity to distinguish themselves and to make meaningful connections that can lead to future employment and career growth. See details and apply.
HEALTH PROFESSIONS SUMMER INSTITUTE provides hands on health workforce exposure. Programming includes career demonstrations, HIPAA orientation, certification opportunities, as well as information on knowing your rights and records relief. Contact us about taking part.
FIELD PLACEMENTS, INTERNSHIPS AND COMMUNITY-BASED-ROTATIONS are opportunities to experience health care delivery and population health in community settings. We work with partners in primary care settings, hospitals, county health departments, and other local organizations to provide placements – often formal rotations – and service learning opportunities. Through interaction with patients, students learn first-hand about economic and cultural barriers to care and the specific needs of underserved populations. Contact us to discuss.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE provides AHEC Scholars and other participants with the opportunity to engage in the field of research, including making arrangements for them to shadow health professionals, coordinating with researchers, and assisting aspiring researchers as they navigate new academic experiences. Contact us to be connected with meaningful research.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS – We work with students in health professions programs to assist them in developing and submitting written abstracts for professional presentations. Contact us for help and guidance with your abstract. Contact us for help and guidance with your abstract.
PRESENTATIONS – Developing and analyzing research/service learning materials for presentations is critical in a health professional’s educational development. We aid aspiring researchers in performing these tasks, which build the foundation for the advancement of their future research and academic work. Contact us for help working on your presentation.
AHEC is here to help you prepare the students of today to be the health care professionals of tomorrow.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT – We assist classroom instructors in the process of developing, analyzing, and structuring curriculums that could be utilized to improve or advance educational courses in the health professions. If you are working on health-related educational materials, contact us for input.
COMMUNITY RESEARCH – For health policy and practice to meaningfully promote health equity, research must include members of the actual population. We assist efforts to conduct research in the community by providing resources and guidance in protocol development, IRB submissions, and other areas critical to research. If you are doing, or hoping to do, research in the community, contact us for help planning and coordinating.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT – To develop a quality health workforce for our communities and inspire young people to consider health careers in underserved areas, we work with various partners. In collaborating with community members, leaders, and organizations to address research, health literacy, and education issues, we also help our participants start to build their own future professional networks. Contact us to deepen your engagement with the community.
HEALTH PROMOTION – Chicago South AHEC is active in developing solutions and strategies that advocate for the health and wellness of community members, by giving health-themed presentations, creating literature to distribute, and other community health promotion activities. We also produce a podcast, the Young Health Professionals Virtual Speaker Series, that features guests from health-related professions and adjacent fields who discuss their profession and how it intersects with our daily lives Contact us about how we can work together to promote health and wellness in your community.
CLASSROOM-BASED PRESENTATIONS are an essential part of our promotion of health careers. We do activities throughout the region with Health Career Occupation Programs at the college level, science or health clubs in high school or partnering with community colleges, hospitals and others in the region to offer scrub exposures with students. Our summer programs include JDUB Academy – a four-day program for junior high and high school students – and two events a year with Knox Health Professions Advising at Knox College. We can also come to your school or organization and teach students in a fun and engaging way about the vast opportunities in health care. Contact us to schedule a date to speak with your group.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRACTICING PROFESSIONALS
CONTINUING EDUCATION sessions, in the classroom and online, are designed to support the educational needs of practicing health care professionals in underserved communities. The IL AHEC network provides educational opportunities for current health professionals. Contact us for details.
(Shown at top, Illinois Congressman Danny Davis joined the Young Doctors Club at Lawndale Christian Church to hear young people from Chicago’s North Lawndale community testify about food insecurity and unequitable access to fresh foods and grocery stores.)
Illinois Area Health Education Centers