Health Careers Education
Growing Our Own
Health Care Professionals..... by providing health careers
education.
Purpose: Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center (NEOAHEC) places emphasis on "growing our
own." Medical school surveys indicate health care professionals who grew up in a rural community are more
likely to choose a rural practice than those who have no
ties to a rural community. Northeast Oregon AHEC's 1998 census of health
care professionals shows 62% of the allied
health and nursing respondents were originally from a
rural community. Approximately 52% of the physician
respondents grew up in rural areas, and that includes
physician respondents from Bend and The Dalles!
A community needs to maintain a strong bond
between an individual and the "hometown" to
attract that person home. The AHEC focus is two-fold: (1) to create awareness and opportunities for youth to choose
health careers (through camps and encouraging school
health career classes) and (2) help communities establish
long-term bonds with their health oriented youth (through health careers
day, shadowing and
mentoring projects).
Please tell us about your successes with
recruiting back your youth and we will share those
stories with others!
