Our programs and activities work to recruit, support, and maintain a diverse health care workforce.
PRE-COLLEGE STUDENTS
Interested in a career in health care? AHEC can help you find your career path.
CAREER EXPLORATION is a once-a-month program for high school students to learn about health careers from working professionals, take a facility tour, and do hands-on activities in each department. Program completers are recognized at an awards night and get the opportunity to job shadow throughout the summer. Application required. Contact us for more information. [note]
HEALTH CAREER SUMMER CAMPS are a fun-filled way for high school students considering a career in health care to participate in hands-on learning activities that represent different health professions. They visit local health facilities, meet with working professionals who provide insight into their work, and receive guidance on the college application process. At the three-day overnight camps at UIC Rockford and SIU-Edwardsville, students get to stay in the dorms to experience living on a college campus. We also offer a health care discovery camp for grades 7-12 with Rend Lake College in Ina, and a five-day overnight camp for high school students with SIU. If this sounds like a fun way to learn, contact us.
JOB SHADOWING is a great way to explore the challenging and rewarding positions that the health care field has to offer. By experiencing a “day in the life” of a health care professional, you learn about the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to work in that field. You get the opportunity to ask questions, observe job tasks, and see how professionals provide team-based care. We can help arrange shadowing experiences through partnerships with hospitals, local clinics and other health care facilities. Contact us to set up a shadowing experience and see if a career in health care is for you. [note]
VIRTUAL JOB SHADOWING is the next best thing when unable to shadow in person. We can provide access to VirtualJobShadow.com, with its interactive tools to help students develop career paths. Learn more.
COLLEGE LEVEL HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS
The health care work environment is changing rapidly, and students often need additional training to enhance their current curriculum. AHEC has those opportunities for you.
JOB SHADOWING experiences are 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. Some graduate schools (for example, DPT programs) even require a certain number of shadowing hours to be completed before you apply, and others require job shadowing as part of their degree program. We can help arrange shadowing experiences through partnerships with hospitals, local clinics and other health care facilities. Contact us to set one up.
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.
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.
RURAL HEALTH EXPERIENCES (RHE) is a three- to five-day opportunity for students to fully immerse themselves in rural health care at a site in Illinois. Participants shadow professionals of various disciplines in a rural hospital or clinic as well as observe interprofessional team meetings. This collaboration between AHEC and the National Center for Rural Health Professions is open to AHEC Scholars (priority), undergraduate juniors and seniors, and gap year students. Learn more.
6-WEEK RURAL INTERPROFESSIONAL PRECEPTORSHIP is a full-time, paid rural immersion experience in a rural community. Students shadow a variety of health professionals in hospital and clinic settings, county health departments and other organizations. They discuss core topics in underserved health care and develop and implement a community service learning project focused on a real-life health priority in the community. The program, offered annually through a collaboration with the National Center for Rural Health Professions, is open to AHEC Scholars and students in the third or fourth year of their academic program. Learn more.
GRANTS AND AWARDS are one way that we pursue our mission to improve health care for the underserved, by increasing access to learning and professional development opportunities for health professionals, promoting health career development to students, and enhancing collaborative, community-based health promotion activities.
AHEC is here to help you prepare the students of today to be the health care professionals of tomorrow.
HEALTH FAIRS AND EXPOS are ways for South Central AHEC to participate in your health-themed celebrations, whether it be setting up a booth at the tractor show or sending a speaker to promote health and wellness activities. Contact us about how we can work together to promote the health and wellness of your audience.
SCRUB EXPOSURES are half-day opportunities for groups of young students to visit a health facility and observe working professionals. Scrub exposures often include meeting with a health careers educator to learn about various job opportunities and careers. Contact us to arrange one for your group.
CLASSROOM-BASED ACTIVITIES are an essential part of our promotion of health careers. We can 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 rural and underserved communities. The IL AHEC network provides educational opportunities for current health professionals. Contact us for details.
(Shown at top, Career Exploration Students with ARCH EMS Crew and South Central IL AHEC Director, Gloria Przygoda.)
Illinois Area Health Education Centers