Lowcountry AHEC Health Professions Student Program.

The Health Professions Student (HPS) Program facilitates placement of health professions students into clinical rotations, which are in rural or underserved areas of the lowcountry. This service bridges the gap between the university/college classroom setting and the clinical site experience. As interactive members of the community, Lowcountry AHEC's HPS Coordinators, Kim Stephens (stephensk@lcahec.com) and Emily Warren (warrene@lcahec.com) are able to connect health professions degree programs and students with clinical sites as well as facilitate involvement in community health projects.

The HPS Program's Core Service Goals are to:

• Foster the development of health professionals who are clinically competent and responsive to the needs of communities.
• Continually monitor and seek to respond to the need for health professionals in South Carolina.

Lowcountry AHEC HPS coordinators work closely with health profession degree programs from Medical University of South Carolina (www.musc.edu), the University of South Carolina (www.sc.edu), Winthrop (www.winthrop.edu), South Carolina State University (www.scsu.edu), and Clemson University (www.clemson.edu) to facilitate placement of their students in clinical rotations with preceptors. Services provided vary according to curriculum requirements and goals of each academic program but usually include the following:

• Interface with clinical programs at SC academic intitutions
• Identifications of preceptors and clinical rotation sites
• Assistance with housing.
• Student orientation to the community.
• Clinical site visits.
• Technology support.
• Assistance with community based projects
• Network with the community health agencies
• Facilitate South Carolina Rural Interdisciplinary of Program Trainging (SCRIPT)
• Facilitate the Interprofessional Service Learning Projects (ISLP)

SCRIPT: South Carolina Rural Interdisciplinary Program of Training

Each summer, Lowcountry AHEC hosts 1 of 4 sessions of the South Carolina Rural Interdisciplinary Program of Training (SCRIPT). This course is a 5 week summer practicum for health professions students and offers a unique clinical experience. For more information go to SCRIPT.

National Health Service Core

Emily Warren and Kim Stephens are Ambassadors for the National Health Service Corps in Washington, D.C. As an ambassador, they counsel health professions students about careers in primary care to underserved communities. For more information please see NHSC.

Contacts

Emily Warren, LMSW
Health Professions Student Coordinator
Phone: (843) 782-5052, ext. 105
Fax: (843) 782-5053
warrene@lcahec.com

Kim Stephens, M.S.Ed.
Health Professions Student Coordinator
Phone: (843) 782-5052, ext. 106
Fax: (843) 782-5053
stephensk@lcahec.com