South Carolina AHEC News & Updates

Did you know that nurse practitioners are the fastest growing licensed health profession in South Carolina (Figure 1)? Or that in more than a third of South Carolina counties, the growth of physicians isn’t keeping up with population (Figure 2)? Data such as these are available thanks largely to the South Carolina Office for Healthcare Workforce. The South Carolina Office for Healthcare Workforce, or OWH, is a statewide resource that studies the issues affecting the balance of supply and demand for different types of health professionals in South Carolina. Its mission is to develop accurate, reliable information about the state’s healthcare workforce and to make that information widely available to support planning and policy decisions. It routinely disseminates reports, maps and data briefs , as well as the South Carolina Health Professions Data Book .  The OHW was established in 2009 as a program within the South Carolina AHEC program office in Charleston wit

Lowcountry AHEC partnered with the SC Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative of the Department of Mental Health and held 3 suicide screening continuing education events, reaching approximately 200 participants. In addition, 29 counselors and psychologists were trained as trainers using the Mental Health America of South Carolina curriculum. These trainers used the toolkits to teach and counsel teachers and students. Evaluations show that approximately half of the counselors had used one or more parts of the curriculum successfully. Visit Lowcountry AHEC's website to find out more about their continuing professional development programs.

Mid-Carolina AHEC’s Health Careers Program provided 1,291 hours of academic advising, online modules, mentoring, health careers programs/training and service learning opportunities to 67 students from 18 high schools in the 11-county region.   Participating high school seniors who complete at least 100 hours of programming were eligible to enroll in the Certified Nurse Assistant Training Program (CNATP).   Since 2013, 27 HCP students have completed the CNATP and worked in healthcare while completing their undergraduate degree. Visit Mid-Carolina AHEC's website to find out more about their Health Careers Program.

Pee Dee AHEC’s Health Careers Program has grown tremendously to offer more opportunities to high school and college students in its 12-county region. New initiatives include partnering with work-based learning programs, coordinating and instructing health career structured programs, hosting field experiences, participating in 12 career fairs, and establishing eight regional internships. In an effort to broaden pipeline initiatives, partnerships now include six middle schools, 23 high schools, four regional technical colleges, five universities, and three transition-to-employment programs.   Visit Pee Dee AHEC's website to find out more about their Health Careers Program.

Upstate AHEC started offering blended learning programs in early 2018. These popular courses allow healthcare professionals to get clinical experience with expert instructors while spending less time in the classroom. Participants complete a didactic lecture and pass a test online ahead of time and then attend a hands-on demonstration and check-off in the lab with a qualified instructor. Upstate AHEC offers blended learning opportunities for a variety of professions in topic areas such as IV Therapy, Medication Administration and Tracheostomy Care and continues to grow this area of offerings. Visit Upstate AHEC's website to find out more about their continuing education programs.