South Carolina AHEC News & Updates

The Mid-Carolina AHEC Health Careers Program is proud to announce its continued partnership with Midlands Technical College Department of Nursing and a new partnership with the South Carolina Office of Rural Health’s Workforce Program Manager Jessica Seel. This partnership recently enabled Mid-Carolina AHEC Health Careers Academy (HCA) students from grades nine through twelve to learn more about nursing and preparing to enter the health professions. Jessica Seel spoke to HCA students to help them prepare for seeking professional careers. She covered key tips for becoming a successful job seeker: establishing good first impressions, using social media appropriately, dressing professionally, and discussing prior job experience. She also worked with the students to understand the importance of professionalism, networking, and volunteering. After speaking with Ms. Seel, students participated in interactive patient simulations with Chaunta Simmons, RN, from Midlands Technical College...

The Rural Incentive Grant Program was initiated by the South Carolina Legislature in 1989 to address the maldistribution of clinicians in rural and underserved South Carolina communities.  The program provides incentive grants to eligible providers who contract to practice for four years in a rural or underserved area of South Carolina. Eligible health professionals include: primary care physicians (Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and OB/Gyn); general surgeons and psychiatrists; credentialed nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and physician assistants.  The amount of the incentive grant will vary—physicians are eligible for a total of $60,000-$100,000 (minimum-maximum) and advanced practice providers are eligible for a total of $30,000-$50,000 (minimum-maximum) depending upon the type of practice setting and the population of the county.  All recipients must be U.S. citizens and licensed by the State of South Carolina and board certified. Applicati...

The South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC) is pleased to announce it is currently accepting applications for the South Carolina Rural Dentist Program. The South Carolina Rural Dentist Program was implemented in July 2005 to assist dentists who serve in South Carolina’s Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or serve as full-time faculty at the MUSC College of Dental Medicine in repaying educational loans.  During their commitment period, these dentists are expected to establish viable community practices or academic careers at the College of Dental Medicine and become involved in their respective communities, which will hopefully help retain them after the funding period is complete.  Priority for this program is given to those demonstrating need and expressing intent to remain in an underserved area or in an area of critical need at the MUSC College of Dental Medicine.  To date, 60 rural dentists and 19 faculty members at the MUSC College of ...

Katie Gaul The South Carolina AHEC Program welcomes Katie Gaul as the new director of the South   Carolina Office for Healthcare Workforce and bids a fond farewell to Linda Lacey, who will be retiring at the end of the year.  Linda joined South Carolina AHEC in 2009 as the founding director of the South Carolina Office for Healthcare Workforce (SCOHW), which received startup funding from The Duke Endowment. SCOHW works closely with other state agencies and health-related organizations to ensure they have the information they need about the healthcare workforce in South Carolina and the issues affecting the future of that workforce. During her tenure, Linda established the South Carolina Health Professions Data Book – a widely used resource that describes the available healthcare workforce, population, health status and social/economic conditions in each county in the state. Updated every two years, the data book was recognized as a ‘best state document’ in 2013 by t...

Pee Dee AHEC Summer High School Health Careers Exploration Experience During the third and fourth weeks of June, Pee Dee AHEC’s Health Careers Program hosted high school students from Florence and surrounding counties to explore health science careers.  Students gathered together from Dillon, Cheraw, Horry, Florence, Williamsburg, Darlington, and Marion counties for a week packed with professional presentations, academic advising, hands-on simulations, soft skills workshops, clinical observations and reflection.   During this experience, students heard the personal testimonies and career path stories of a variety of healthcare professionals including a workplace safety coordinator, clinical pharmacist, pharmacy student, medical laboratory scientist, three NICU nurses, four athletic trainers, and a child life specialist. With these mentor sessions, the students participated in hands-on career simulation labs where they worked in teams to solve problems and overcome ...

Sharm Steadman Excellence in Family Medicine Education Award Presented to Jenna Reel, PharmD South Carolina AHEC is pleased to announce that Jenna Reel, PharmD, is this year’s recipient of the Sharm Steadman Excellence in Family Medicine Education Award. Dr. Reel serves as associate program director for the Spartanburg Regional Family Medicine Residency Program. The Sharm Steadman Excellence in Family Medicine Education Award is given to a non-physician member of the faculty of a South Carolina family medicine residency program who has distinguished themself as an outstanding teacher and role model. As a clinical pharmacist, she rounds with the inpatient family medicine team and ensures that they are all well-versed on appropriate indications for medications, the latest guidelines, the possibility of drug interactions, and adjusting medications for renal function. She is always available for questions from the floor or from the outpatient clinic.   Over the past year, D...

It is estimated that 100 million people in the US are living with chronic pain and that approximately one third of these individuals are seeking medical treatment for their pain.  As a result, across the nation, healthcare professionals are taking another look at how to safely and effectively treat pain while also reducing the risks associated with opioids.   With an ongoing opioid epidemic, Pee Dee AHEC is helping health professionals learn ways to address their patients’ chronic pain.  On October 1, Pee Dee AHEC will host a six-hour workshop, “Behavioral Treatment of Chronic Pain: Evidence-Based Tools to Move from Hurt to Hope” presented by Martha Teater, MA, LMFT, LPC, LCAS. This workshop provides credit for counseling, social work, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and any other interested health professionals are welcome to attend. Mrs. Teater is a licensed counselor and social worker specializing in the areas of marriage and family therapy, ...

The annual South Carolina AHEC Resident Scholarship Symposium is held each year in conjunction with the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians’ (SCAFP) annual meeting. The symposium provides family medicine residents from across the state with the opportunity to showcase their quality improvement and research projects through scholarly presentations and poster sessions. Residents are also able to participate in conference and networking events with other family physicians from throughout South Carolina. During the symposium, the upcoming chief residents from each program participate in a seminar to learn about and develop leadership and other skills. This year’s symposium in Myrtle Beach featured 16 podium presentations and 4 poster presentations. The quality improvement and research symposium gives residents an opportunity to engage with SCAFP members to discuss how these projects translate into practice. South Carolina AHEC is pleased to recognize this year’s Resident Schola...

Lowcountry AHEC Lowcountry AHEC is offering programs this November to recognize National Hospice and Palliative Care Month by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Core Course | November 8-9 at MUSC joint-provided with MUSC’s Palliative Care Program.   Living Mindfully: Self-Care for the Care Provider | November 12 at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital 3 C’s of End-of-Life Nursing: Caring Ethics, Communication and Compassion Fatigue | November 20  at MUSC (South Park training room)   Register online at Lowcountry AHEC’s website. Pee Dee AHEC Pee Dee AHEC has been co-sponsoring “Infant Adoption Training Initiative: Understanding Infant Adoption” programs throughout its 12-county region, presented by Sharon Cole, the assistant director of South Carolina Adoptions. This free, 4.5-hour professional development opportunity funded through the Department of Health and Human Services...

Each year in Kansas City, Missouri, the American Academy of Family Physicians National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students is an excellent resident recruitment opportunity for family medicine residency programs. And each year, the South Carolina family medicine residency programs do what few other states accomplish: strong, cohesive collaboration to boost the state’s recruitment efforts at the conference. During the event, a large expo hall is filled with programs from all over the country vying for students’ attention. The South Carolina programs stand out from the crowd during the event due to joint effort to create an eye-catching South Carolina booth block. South Carolina AHEC supports this effort by designing the booth space and collateral materials, resulting in a bold, cohesive state effort to attract residents to South Carolina. This year, all 12 South Carolina family medicine residency programs participated in the South Carolina booth. Nearly 500...

Matt Ewald, MUSC PA-C, Clinical Coordinator; Dr. Carr; and Lance Butler, Pee Dee AHEC HPS Coordinator Dr. Timothy Carr was recognized as Preceptor of the Year at the MUSC College of Health Professions Physician Assistant Program graduation ceremony. Dr. Carr is a Pee Dee AHEC health professions student preceptor for McLeod Health Loris and Seacoast Emergency Services.