Today's Youth - Tomorrow's Professionals

There is a tremendous demand for healthcare professionals in Alaska.  Interior AHEC is working hard to help the teaching institutions to meet this demand by introducing the healthcare environment to young minds.  The stepping stone from general studies to a focus upon some healthcare profession has often been a Job Shadow session in a healthcare facility or perhaps a lecture by a Guest Speaker from some healthcare specialty that inspired a student to pursue medicine or nursing.  Sometimes it only takes a physical experience in the healthcare environment to inspire a student to find their chosen profession.  Interior AHEC's mission is to make this sort of experience possible for students in Interior Alaska.  JOB SHADOW PROGRAM The idea of having young people watch an accomplished professional at work in order to teach directly and practically is a very ancient one.  Artisans, scholars and professionals have had apprentices and have conducted practical education in this way for thousands of years.  The Job Shadow program is not an apprenticeship, of course, nor is it a internship.  A Job Shadow session is a rigidly controlled and highly defined way to get a student in the healthcare environment to actually experience healthcare professionals at work....an experience that few people or students actually have.  The sessions last from 4 to 12 hours and can be arranged easily by contacting Tania Clucas, Education Specialist at (907) 458-6416 or by emailing to tania.clucas@bannerhealth.com.  To get a copy of the Job Shadow Brochure and Application Form simply click on Downloads .   MINI-MEDICAL ACADEMY The Academy is an annual (sometimes semi-annual) event, sponsored by Interior AHEC for the express purpose of introducing leading edge topics to the community at large.  In this way, Interior AHEC can present the interesting and rewarding aspects of healthcare service and research.  In addition, several of these presenters provide forums for discussions concerning ethical and moral problems in healthcare which promotes further discussion and thought about healthcare.  This is both a community service and a recruiting opportunity.   GUEST SPEAKERS Arrangements for guest speakers are made by Interior AHEC through the use of a Guest Speaker Board that is composed of volunteer speakers from various medical, surgical and healthcare professions to give prospective students some idea of the challenges, rewards and opportunities in today's healthcare workplace.  Speakers are invited to lecture at public lectures, to address student bodies and to serve as panel members in public debate.  Research has shown that inspiring speakers can greatly affect the propensity of students to choose healthcare as a career.