Skip to main content

2017 South Carolina AHEC Summer Academy


Summer Academy Dental Fellows making dental impressions 
with Dr. Joe Vuthiganon, Associate Professor, 
MUSC College of Dental Medicine
The South Carolina AHEC would like to thank all of the faculty, staff and students who made this year’s Summer Careers Academy possible. In collaboration with the MUSC Library and Colleges of Dental Medicine, Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions, the Academy hosted 26 undergraduate, pre-health students in a health professions education immersion experience at the beginning of June on the MUSC campus.

The Summer Academy helps prepare students for entry into health professions education programs within South Carolina. The program focuses on students from underrepresented and minority backgrounds and provides them with tools and information for academic success, plus access to admissions representatives, faculty and health professionals in their chosen fields. On average, 79 percent of Summer Academy Fellows graduate college with a health career major. Completers of the South Carolina AHEC Summer Academy demonstrate an undergraduate matriculation and graduation rate greater than the state average.

 This year, Academy Fellows participated in a variety of workshops and experiences to increase their knowledge and understanding of topics related to the academic admissions process, health information literacy, and mental health. Mental Health America of South Carolina provided a mental health first aid certification training to promote increased awareness of mental health, the shortage in the state’s behavioral healthcare workforce, and challenges associated with provision of mental health care. Academy Fellows then participated in service learning experiences at mental health sites. The week culminated with the development and presentation of group projects designed to increase awareness and decreasing stigmas associated with mental illness.

Health career exploration activities are always the highlight of the week for participants. Interacting with faculty, staff, and students within classroom and lab settings and connecting with professionals in the workplace complete the comprehensive Academy experience that helps students along the path to a health career.

 Tyler Nguyen of Clemson University shared, “I have so enjoyed this past week. The knowledge of dentistry and MUSC that I’ve gained has been invaluable.”

 “It has been a wonderful experience that I never would have gotten to do otherwise,” remarked Cassidy Hess of Winthrop University.

 Applications for the 2018 Summer Careers Academy will become available in January 2018. Visit the South Carolina AHEC website for additional Academy information.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mid-Carolina AHEC Simulation Activity Allows Students to Step into Nurses’ Shoes

Prior to COVID-19 Students in the Mid-Carolina AHEC Health Careers Program were able to participate in an interactive activity that allowed them to act as nurses during a simulation activity. The experience was offered through Mid-Carolina AHEC’s continued partnership with Midlands Technical College: Airport Campus. Chaunta Simmons, RN, an instructor with the college’s Health Sciences Department, developed the experience to provide a way for students to actively learn about the nursing profession. Together with Nursing Department Chair Shirley Bannister, RN, they explained the roles of nurses, provided a brief presentation, and enabled students to perform as nurses by taking care of their simulated patient. Students completed a series of tasks common to the day-to-day nursing practice such as patient assessment, foley catheter management, patient positioning, post-operative management, medication administration and safety all while adorned with personal protective equipment (PPE).  &qu
Post a Comment
Read more

Upstate AHEC Leverages Blended Learning Format to Train Health Professionals

Upstate AHEC partnered with Lila Doyle Nursing Home, Prisma Health, AnMed Health Rehab, Greenville County Schools, and the Greenville County Detention Center to help train their employees using a blended learning modality. Through this learning format, participants complete an online lecture and post-test via AHECU and then attend an in-person lab to practice their skills and complete their skills competency checkoffs. Upstate AHEC also works with the outpatient staff of Bon Secours St. Francis in Greenville to complete their medication administration and vital signs training and assessment utilizing the blended learning method. As part of the new hire orientation week, employees view online lecture modules and then attend a vital signs training and lab at Upstate AHEC as well as a medication administration lab. Certified medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, radiology technicians, registered nurses, and unlicensed personnel are all a
Post a Comment
Read more

Pee Dee AHEC Adapts Training Formats During Pandemic

Pee Dee AHEC’s continuing professional development programs, like so many other organizations, had an unexpected year full of transitions and adaptations to new platforms of training. As a result of COVID-19, Pee Dee AHEC quickly transitioned a large number of previously scheduled in-person programs to live webinars. Using the webinars has enabled Pee Dee AHEC to reach many new health professionals, resulting in many new participants across the state of South Carolina and beyond. For example, Pee Dee AHEC partnered with colleges and universities to allow senior nursing students to attend the “Legal Aspects of Nursing Documentation: How Well Would Your Documentation Hold Up in Court?” to earn 6.5 hours toward their clinical requirements. This partnership has continued to grow and serve as a great resource to nursing students and practicing health professionals as well. Pee Dee AHEC has hosted a variety of new speakers to teach programs to counselors and social workers that provided trai
Post a Comment
Read more