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Applications for the 2025 – 2027 Idaho AHEC Scholars Program are open now through September 30, 2025. 

Idaho AHEC Scholars is a free two-year program that you can participate in alongside your academic program. Upon successful completion of all requirements for each year, you’ll receive a $500 stipend and when you have completed both years, you’ll receive a nationally recognized certificate and digital badge to highlight your achievement on your resume and in job applications. 

We’re excited to announce the newly redesigned Idaho AHEC Scholars Professional Development Sessions—a set of interprofessional experiences built for our AHEC Scholars!

These sessions are designed to enhance Scholars’ understanding of rural health while building essential skills in teamwork, communication, and leadership.

  • Streamlined Curriculum: Four engaging zoom meetings per year.
  • Interactive Learning: Dynamic guest speakers, real-world case studies, and interprofessional teamwork.
  • Meaningful Topics: From rural health disparities and behavioral health to teamwork, telehealth, and community partnerships—our new curriculum blends the best of healthcare practice and policy with real-world, practical applications.
  • Team-Based Breakouts: Collaborate with peers from across Idaho on activities that simulate real healthcare challenges.

  • AMPLIFY YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE

    Enhance your understanding of access obstacles and health disparities faced by rural and underserved communities in Idaho. Idaho AHEC Scholars aims to empower you as a more proficient healthcare practitioners, equipping you with the ability to excel in collaborative, team-driven environments. Acquire fresh proficiencies, broaden your experiences, and formulate innovative strategies to enhance healthcare accessibility and provision.

  • BROADEN YOUR NETWORK

    Establish a robust professional network spanning diverse health disciplines. Collaborate closely with a cohort of 45 (or more) peers representing various healthcare fields throughout Idaho. Additionally, become part of a larger national cohort, comprising of approximately 3,900 scholars across 49 programs nationwide. Seamlessly blend didactic courses and community-oriented learning obligations to engage alongside present-day healthcare trailblazers.

  • SET YOURSELF APART

    Attain a nationally recognized certificate, secure a $1,000 stipend throughout your dedicated participation, and acquire a digital badge giving you access to future employment opportunities. These achievements will provide you with a distinct advantage in presenting your skills to residency programs and/or potential employers, enhancing your marketability. Furthermore, you will be featured in a publicized roster of graduating scholars, which will be shared with employers actively seeking to make new hires.

WHO'S ELIGIBLE?
Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the AHEC Scholar Program in Southwest Idaho you must:

  • Be a citizen of the United States or a foreign national having in his/her possession a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States
  • Be a health professions student of an approved program (see “Approved Disciplines”)
  • Be in good standing in your program and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher
  • Be two years from program or degree completion (exception: medical students may apply in year one of their MD or DO program)
  • Commit to a two-year AHEC Scholars activity agenda
  • Be going directly into a health profession when you graduate*
  • Be willing to be contacted with a survey request one year after graduation from your degree program

*Pre-health programs that do not lead directly to a practicing health profession upon graduation and lab-based programs are not eligible.

Approved Disciplines

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognizes the following programs in Idaho. Health profession students studying in these disciplines must be graduating from their program within two years and be planning to begin practice shortly after graduation. 

  • Athletic Training (MS)
  • Clinical Psychology (PhD)
  • Dietetics/Nutrition (MS)
  • Medicine (MD, DO)
  • Nursing (AS, BSN, MSN, DNP, Advanced Practice)
  • Nursing (DNP)
  • Pharmacy (PharmD)
  • Physician Assistant (MPAS)
  • Social Work (BSW, MSW)
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?
Must Be Completed in Two Years
  • Attend a new scholar orientation in the fall 2025
  • Attend 8 virtual professional development sessions from 6:30 – 8:00 pm (MT), dates TBD:
    • Year 1: January, February, March, and April
    • Year 2: September, October, November, and December
  • Complete Clinical/Experiential Activities – qualifying academic clinical rotations may count towards the 40-hour per year requirement
  • Complete all required evaluations
CORE TOPIC AREAS
Interprofessional Education

Supports a coordinated, patient centered model of healthcare that involves an understanding of the contributions of multiple healthcare professionals.

Behavioral Health Integration

Promotes the development of integrated primary and behavioral health services (mental health and substance use conditions).

Social Determinants of Health

Recognizes the impact of economic stability, education, social and community context, health & healthcare, neighborhood and built environments (determinants) on health.

Cultural Competency and Health Equity

Training healthcare providers to recognize and address the unique culture, language and health literacy of diverse individuals and communities.

Practice Transformation

Goal-setting, leadership, practice facilitation, workflow changes, measure outcomes, adapting organization tools and processes to support new team-based models of care delivery.

Current and Emerging Health Issues

Examples include COVID-19, opioid abuse, geographically relevant health issues, etc.

Connecting Communities and Supporting Health Professionals

Aims to increase training and development of CHWs and paraprofessionals to be the connectors who are able to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health professionals and the community to facilitate access to service and improve health equity, community/population health and social determinants of health.

Virtual Learning and Telehealth

Seeks to improve virtual learning and telehealth curricula and community-based experiential training. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all health care systems, hospitals and clinics to rapidly implement telehealth services, simulation-based technology and virtual trainings to continue delivering patient care.