South Carolina AHEC News & Updates

Since pharmacy students and preceptors joined the institute in the fall of 2015, it seemed appropriate to have January’s monthly seminar focus on the role of clinical pharmacists in the primary care setting. Dr. Scott Bragg, clinical pharmacist with the Trident/MUSC Family Medicine Residency and assistant professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences at the South Carolina College of Pharmacy, was the speaker. Dr. Bragg brought with him Cristin Adams, DO, a current family medicine resident who was spending the month with him on a pharmacotherapy rotation. Another guest in the audience was Cecily DiPiro, PharmD, who was a certified diabetes educator for the Diabetes Ten City Challenge while she was practicing at the Prescription Center Pharmacy near Charleston. Dr. Deborah Carson, the South Carolina AHEC Associate Program Director for Education and a retired clinical pharmacy faculty member, set the stage by providing a brief history of the changes in pharmacy education and pr...

IPC Fellows and Preceptors attend a  networking event during  last year's  retreat The Institute for Primary Care Education and Practice (IPC) wrapped up a successful fall semester in November, including the addition of a fourth cohort of IPC fellows. This year, the IPC welcomed 28 new student fellows, including its first cohort of students from the South Carolina College of Pharmacy at MUSC. To further students’ interest in primary care, the South Carolina AHEC in 2012 worked with leaders on the USC and MUSC academic campuses to establish the IPC. Initially funded for three years through The Duke Endowment, an IPC core team of faculty from the South Carolina AHEC and the universities identified medical, advanced practice nursing (APN), and physician assistant (PA) students early in their training who expressed interest in primary care careers. In 2015, the academic programs began funding for the IPC.   With the addition of the pharmacy students, the I...

The South Carolina AHEC is pleased to announce that applications are currently being accepted from primary care physicians (Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Ob/Gyn) and advanced practice professionals (nurse midwives, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) who contract for a period of four years to practice in rural or underserved areas of South Carolina.  Awards for physicians will vary, with the minimum award being $60,000 and the maximum award being $100,000, depending upon the type of practice setting and the population of the county. Awards for advanced practice professionals will vary, with the minimum award being $30,000 and the maximum award being $50,000, depending upon the type of practice setting and the population of the county. Specifically, the State Incentive Grant Program may: Provide $25,000 per year for up to four years to qualified physicians practicing in counties with a population of less than 50,000. Provide ...

On October 9, health professions students from across the state are invited to attend South Carolina’s recognition of “Corps Community Day” as part of the annual National Primary Care Week . This program will provide information about the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), which exists to increase access to primary care where it is needed most.  The NHSC is a federal program that provides scholarships or repays the educational loans of health care providers who agree to serve a minimum of two years in a federally designated health professional shortage area. Mark Jordan, Director of the South Carolina Office of Primary Care, will provide an overview of the NHSC including scholarship and loan repayment opportunities. Sean Boynes, DMD, and David Garr, MD, will discuss the benefits, working environment, and experiences available through the NHSC. The South Carolina AHEC, the South Carolina Office of Rural Health and the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association are sponso...