Published
2024-12-19
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Section
Original Reports
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Copyright (c) 2024 Kenya M. Morales-Luna BS, Stacey Morrison PhD, MLIS, Toby Keys MA, MPH
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All work in JRMC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Addressing the Rural and Underserved Healthcare Workforce Needs: Residency Specialty Selection and Workforce Outcomes of the WWAMI AHEC Scholars Program
Kenya M. Morales-Luna BS
University of Washington
Stacey Morrison PhD, MLIS
University of Washington
Toby Keys MA, MPH
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9455-5028
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jrmc.v7i4.6192
Keywords: AHEC Scholars Program, Medical Education, Rural Health, Interprofessional Education, Physician Workforce
Abstract
Introduction: The availability of well-trained healthcare providers in rural and medically underserved areas in the United States is crucial for improving health outcomes. The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars program, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is a national effort to address these persistent healthcare shortages through a health professional student certificate program. This is a descriptive study of graduates of the University of Washington WWAMI AHEC Scholars program’s residency selection and workforce outcomes.
Methods: From July 2022 to December 2023, our research team conducted a follow-up survey and online search to locate WWAMI AHEC Scholars graduates from the 2018 and 2019 cohorts. Data was collected on graduates' residency selection for MD/DO graduates. For all other participants, we documented their current healthcare professions, practice locations (rural and/or medically underserved areas), and whether the practice was a federally qualified health center.
Results: We located 94.1% (159) of WWAMI AHEC Scholars Graduates. Among the 47 MD/DO students, 61.7% (29) matched into primary care. Additionally, 13.4% (13) of participants from other healthcare programs were located in rural areas and 26.7% (26) in medically underserved areas, highlighting the program's impact on the current maldistribution of healthcare providers.
Conclusion: The WWAMI AHEC Scholars Program offers a promising model for encouraging rural and underserved practice. However, more outcome-based research is needed to understand the long-term impact of this program.
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Author Biographies
Kenya M. Morales-Luna BS, University of Washington
Stacey Morrison PhD, MLIS, University of Washington
Toby Keys MA, MPH
