It Takes a Community: Opportunities for Undergraduate Student Enrichment
This summer, the Southeast Alabama AHEC (SEAAHEC) hosted UAB Health Management undergraduate Molly Thomas in a three-month internship to fulfill requirements for her degree. From May through July, Ms. Thomas worked with the staff to contribute to several on-going core programs and projects.
Serving as camp counselor during Discovery MedCamp 2018, she was responsible for a group of campers who attended the 5-day intensive, residential program. In addition, she spearheaded the design, research and execution of a funding guide for students participating in the Lowndes County Health Careers Academy. The booklet contains scholarship and work-study information at regional universities and colleges for the nine disciplines covered in the Academy as well as federal scholarship and loan repayment information. As a community non-profit organization, the Southeast Alabama AHEC is an excellent location for students needing contact hours to fulfill requirements for a degree. Working alongside the professional staff, interns can learn basic office skills; office etiquette; proper business communication styles; project management and other skills valuable for entry-level job seekers.
UAB School of Medicine students at the Montgomery Regional Campus may opt for a stint with SEAAHEC through a Special Topics course offered each semester. This course is designed to give MS1-MS4 students an overview of how Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) operate and contribute to the overall health-care community – especially in under-resourced counties.
Students will shadow all levels of the AHEC team and will participate in research and program development as part of the longitudinal approach to building the health care workforce in rural and underserved communities.
Truly an AHEC model, internships support the multi-faceted work of non-profit Centers while introducing undergraduate and graduate level students to the business side of health care.
