 |
How can we support the students or second-career adults in our community who choose to enter health professions?
One of the most effective strategies any community wishing to improve access to primary care can do is to investigate its future healthcare needs and then recruit health professionals from within its own ranks. This concept, known widely as “growing your own,” is an effective, if long-term approach to attracting and retaining health care givers. Research has established the fact that physicians, as well as other caregivers, are much more likely to establish their practice in rural areas if they grew up or spent a considerable portion of their impressionable years in a rural area. Plus, a native returning to his or her own community has the advantage of a more-or-less captive patient base.
The growing-your-own approach can take many forms, beginning with the enrichment of science classes for elementary school students, to informing students beginning in middle school, about opportunities in health careers, to targeting promising high school students and aiding their search for scholarships, to finding loan repayment programs for practicing professionals to establishing work-and-learn programs for the working adult.
Area Health Education Centers
(AHECs) are specialists in health workforce development
and can provide broad-based programs and educational
materials to support any of these approaches. (See
Toolbox Sections 1. or 3. for more information on
the activities of AHECs.) Also, the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board (website http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/
and sister site at http://www.collegefortexans.com)
provides a wealth of information on preparing for
and paying for college and/or choosing a career. Other
programs, such as Tech Prep and Community-Campus Partnerships
for Health are business and education partnerships.
Finding scholarships and grants for college-age and/or adult students requires dedicated searching. The monies or support required by any given student probably exist. The trick is to find the sources, many of which are now located online, follow up with timely applications and not rely solely on school or professional guidance counselors, who are frequently too overworked to know all the answers. This Toolbox resource provides a starting place for general and health-related scholarship searches, including some Federal, state and local resources. |
 |
|
- Learning For Life –
A curriculum support program
designed to support schools and community-based
organizations in their efforts to prepare
youth to handle the complexities of
contemporary society and enhance their
self-confidence. Based on life skills,
character development and value formulation
in students beginning in elementary
school. Not specifically health-related,
but includes strong school-to-careers
and business and civic club partnerships
components, as well as scholarship opportunities.
A basic model for community support
of educational programs. For more information,
contact Learning for Life, 1325 West
Walnut Hill Lane (P.O. Box 152079),
Irving, TX 75015-2079; (972) 580-2433;
website at http://www.learning-for-life.org
- Honors Premedical Academy
(HPA) – Baylor College
of Medicine and Rice University cooperate
in a six-week summer academic enrichment
program for promising minority students
who have demonstrated a serious interest
in pursuing a career in medicine. HPA
is one of eight national sites of the
Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP),
funded in part by The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation. For more information or
applications, contact William A. Thomson,
Ph.D., Director, Honors Premedical Academy,
Baylor College of Medicine, Center for
Educational Outreach, 1709 Dryden, Suite
545, Houston, TX 77030; Toll-free (800)
798-8244, (713) 798-8200, Fax (713)
798-8201.
- JAMP - A special
program created to support & encourage
highly qualified, economically disadvantaged
students pursuing a medical education.
http://www.utsystem.edu/jamp/
- Funding Your Education –
User-friendly guide to student
financial assistance, with frequently
requested phone numbers, useful websites,
definitions of terms, deadlines, information
on Federal and campus-based aid programs,
and more. Available upon request from
the U.S. Dept. of Education, Student
Financial Assistance at 1-800-433-3243
or online at http://studentaid.ed.gov
- Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) –
Basic form to apply for federal and
state student grants, work-study and
loans, application period July 1, 2001
to June 30, 2002. For technical assistance,
call Toll-free 1-800-801-0576. Also
available for application over the Internet
with FAFSA on The Web at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
- The Student Guide
– A detailed guide on Federal
student aid programs. Available free
from the Federal Student Aid Information
Center, P.O. Box 84, Washington, DC
20044-0084; or request Toll-free 1-800-FED-AID
(1-800-433-3243). Information and
multiple
links available from the website at
http://studentaid.ed.gov
- Financial Aid and Funding
Resource List – selected
financial aid resources for students
from culturally/ethnically diverse backgrounds
from the Office of Minority Health Resource
Center (OMHRC) and the National Clearinghouse
for Professions in Special Education.
Contact OMHRC Toll-free at 1-800-444-6472;
and the National Clearinghouse at1920
Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1589,
Toll-free at 1-800-641-7824;
- Principles and Best Practices
for Healthier Communities
– A report on the 1998 Community-Campus
Partnerships for Health national conference
proceedings. To learn more about CCPH
and membership opportunities, contact
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health,
3333 California St, #410, San Francisco,
CA 94118; (415) 476-7081; Fax (415)
476-4113; E-mail to ccph@itsa.ucsf.edu
and website at http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/ccph.html
- H.O.T. Jobs – Health
Opportunities in Texas, a guide
to over 50 health careers in Texas with
details on work environment, job outlook,
length of training/requirements, certification/licensure,
expected salary, educational programs
and professional associations. Easy-to-read,
information-rich guide for students
and adults. Limited copies available
upon request from East Texas Area Health
Education (AHEC) centers. To locate
an AHEC, see Toolbox Sections 1. or
3., or access the East Texas AHEC website
at http://www.etxahec.org;
or call (409) 772-7884.
- Other References
- Compendium of Texas Colleges
and Financial Aid Calendar
– A comprehensive guidebook
of scholarships available in Texas.
For high school seniors. Free from
the Student Aid Center, Minnie Stevens
Piper Foundation, GPM South Tower,
Suite 200, 800 NW Loop 410, San
Antonio, TX 78216-5699; (210) 525-8494;
also available on the Internet at
www.window.state.tx.us/scholars
- Collegeboard
– A website for those concerned
about how much their payments on
student loans will be after graduation.
This website features a calculator
that predicts payment amounts based
on salary and total loan amounts
with interest. Go to http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/sla.jsp
- Educational Opportunities
handbooks – The Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board
(THECB) publishes two guidebooks,
Educational Opportunities at Texas
Public Community & Technical Colleges,
and Educational Opportunities
at Texas Public Universities.
For copies, contact the THECB at P.O.
Box 12788, Austin, TX 78711; (512)
483-6111; or access the website at
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us
- Nontraditional Education
Package – Tips especially
helpful for returning dropouts and
adults wishing to return to school
while working. Includes three government
publications: Planning for College;
Nontraditional Education: Alternative
Ways to Earn Your Credentials; and
GED Diploma. All three for $1.75
from http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov
or call the Consumer Information Center
Toll-free at 1-888-878-3256 and ask
for “the Nontraditional Education
Package.”
- Don’t’ Miss
Out: The Ambitious
Student’s Guide to Financial
Aid, from Octameron, P.O. Box
2748, Dept. P, Alexandria, VA 22301;
or from http://www.octameron.com
- Websites for student
resources:
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
