The National Area Health Education Center Program and Primary Care Residency Training

Abstract

The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program was established in 1972 to improve the supply, distribution, retention and quality of primary care and other health practitioners in medically underserved areas. Through academic/community partnerships, regional AHECs offer a broad array of educational programs for students, residents and practicing health professionals. With primary care medical education a core part of AHEC programs, AHECs have been involved in decentralized residency training from the outset, with particular attention to family medicine. This paper provides an overview of the national AHEC program, its core components and its support for primary care residency training. Although AHECs have achieved considerable success in training primary care physicians for their respective states, continued refinements of programs are needed to address the needs of the most rural and underserved communities.

Longitudinal evaluation practices of health workforce development programs: An incremental approach to evaluability assessment

“…The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program was established in 1972 to improve the supply, distribution, retention and quality of primary care and other health practitioners in medically underserved areas (Bacon, 2000). Administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)-Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce, the AHEC program is part of a national effort to improve access to primary care health services through the education and training of health professionals.…”

Area Health Education Center (AHEC) programs for rural and underrepresented minority students in the Alabama Black Belt

“…Many AHECs across the country are successful at recruiting and retaining health professionals in rural and underserved communities by creating rural primary care residencies and collaborating with academic institutions to incorporate community-based rotations for health profession students that have performance-based approaches and interprofessional learning strategies [8, 9]. Some AHEC initiatives combine student experiences with minority recruitment efforts through the following methods: housing and travel assistance; educational support through curriculum development and rotation coordination; exposure to health-related barriers for rural and underserved communities, notably within minority populations; logistical assistance by way of telecommunication and seminars; translation help; and finally, provider support through fairs and conferences for continuing education needs [10]. …”

“…Minority participation in tailored programs can help improve educational training experiences and increase interests in high demand health professions that are essential to improve current health outcomes. Receiving training in environments with social and cultural aspects of rural residence has the potential to create health professionals who choose to stay longer in rural practice, while at the same time feel more prepared to serve similar communities [10]. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) financially supports national AHECs to help recruit, train, and retain health professionals for medically-underserved communities by providing academic and clinical resources within the community to foster appropriate health needs.…”

Undergraduate Rural Medical Education Program Development: Focus Group Consultation With the NRHA Rural Medical Educators Group

“…In the decade thereafter, rural medical education could be characterized as independent efforts among programs and faculty members to understand and employ key educational principles and factors related to the production of rural physicians. The importance of rural background, 3,4 family medicine, 5,6 and community‐based education 7–10 were established, but with no concerted effort on the part of organized medicine and medical education to address rural training. During the late 1990s, faculty members invested in rural medicine began organizing a professional academic support group.…”