SPCC Atlanta AHEC kicked-off the Georgia AHEC Scholars Program with its Inaugural 2018 Cohort of fifteen students from the Dental Hygiene and Nursing Undergraduate and Graduate Programs at Clayton State University. The Georgia AHEC Scholars Program is supported by AHEC’s mission to support the recruitment, training and retention of a diverse health professions workforce across Georgia. This program has been supported by Clayton State’s Dean of Health, Dr. Lisa Eichelberger, along with nine Dental Hygiene and Nursing faculty members. During Year 1, these individuals consistently provided curriculum advisement, as part of the Georgia Interprofessional Curriculum Advisory Committee (GA-ICAN), and learning modules instruction to AHEC Scholars Program students.
The 2018 Cohort comprised 15 AHEC Scholars, including: seven Dental Hygiene and eight Nursing students. During Year 1, (taking place from September 2018 to August 2019), the students completed 40 hours of didactic virtual classroom discussions and 40 hours of community- and team-based experiential learning. At the end of Year 2, these AHEC Scholars will be fully equipped with cutting edge training for interdisciplinary health care delivery; participatory stipends; and statewide recognition in interprofessional collaboration. The students will have achieved core competencies in the Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA) six core topic areas: Interprofessional Education and Practice; Social Determinants of Health; Cultural Competency; Behavioral Health Integration; Practice Transformation; and Emerging Health Topics.
In Year 1, the 2018 Cohort completed virtual assignments, discussions, and interactive activities on the first three learning modules. During the Interprofessional Education and Practice module, students gained an introductory definition and comprehension of IPE, as well as the components necessary to produce an efficient IPE environment. Clayton State Faculty Drs. Grace Nteff and Susan Duley facilitated this module through implementation of the online curriculum, engaging and educational videos, and an in-person debrief session, which all highlighted the significance of IPE. For the Social Determinants of Health module, students explored the intersection between housing and healthcare via weekly online discussions, defined social determinants of health, and obtained understanding of why social determinants are important to rural health. Clayton State Faculty Drs. Victoria Foster and Lisa Smiley conducted intensive online dialogue with students and encouraged them to brainstorm on how cardiovascular disease and diabetes could help them learn about social determinants of health. In the Cultural Competency module, students conducted research on the impact of culturally competent care on health equity and developed an approach to presenting how culture influences personal experiences within the health care system. Clayton State Faculty Drs. Elicia Collins and Carmen Harrison taught students how to develop competency with ethnic groups via faculty-developed PowerPoint lectures, which have gained statewide recognition and utilization as addendums to the Georgia Statewide AHEC Scholars IPE Curriculum. Students ultimately evaluated information on cultural competency and developed responses on how this knowledge can assist them in becoming premier health care professionals.
Nearing the conclusion of Year 1, the 2018 Cohort participated in different IPE Practicum experiences to meet the requirement of 40 hours of community-based, team-based experiential learning. Some Dental Hygiene students traveled to Moultrie, Georgia to serve as Clinicians-In-Training at the Farm Worker Family Health Program. In this weeklong experience, students and Clayton State Faculty Joanna Harris-Worelds provided dental education and dental care services to 753 migrant farm workers and their families (471 adults and 282 children). Some Nursing students traveled to Rutledge, Georgia to serve as Clinicians-In-Training at Camp Kudzu, a residential weeklong empowering camp experience for youth with Type 1 diabetes. Students and AHEC Staff Kedrick Williams and Haris Khan attended and engaged with youth and Camp Staff in numerous indoor and outdoor activities. Students, along with their Clinical Preceptors, checked and monitored blood sugars of the youth amidst engagement of energetic activities and dining experiences. The remainder of Dental Hygiene and Nursing students traveled to Powder Springs, Georgia to serve as Clinicians-In-Training at the NDD commUNITY Dance and Health and Wellness Program. Intensive event preparation offered students a glimpse of interprofessional collaboration among health care organizations and non-profit businesses. Students prepared posters and educational content on cardiovascular health to provide to event attendees, managed their own booth, and engaged with event attendees while providing blood pressure screenings and information on cardiovascular health.
As Year 2 has commenced, SPCC Atlanta AHEC is heavily engaged in the recruitment season to accept 18 students in the 2019 Cohort. This increase in capacity was made possible through company sponsorships from our Annual SPCC Atlanta AHEC Golf Tournament, held in May 2019, which supports the AHEC Scholars Program. Our Official Year 2 Kick-Off is scheduled for October 22, 2019 at Clayton State University! We are geared up and excited to make Year 2 even more engaging and interactive for students and faculty as they press forward in learning the ins and outs of IPE!
