University of Florida
North Florida AHEC Program
Information and Support for Community Providers
Providers in medically underserved areas often suffer from a sense of professional isolation. Rural providers, in particular, lack the benefits of a local provider network and have less access than their urban counterparts to professional development opportunities. AHEC has become an important support mechanism for north Florida providers by offering them continuing education programs, access to library resources, and the opportunity to become involved in the education of health professions students. AHEC's continuing education and information services help health-care professionals stay current in their fields, assure high-quality care and meet licensing requirements.For information about distance learning continuing education
go to the University of Florida Office of
Continuing Medical Education.
CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Each AHEC offers specially tailored continuing education programs for providers in rural and underserved areas, often in response to specific requests from the local medical community or in cooperation with health departments, community health centers or other health-related agencies. From school health nurses to physicians to nursing home personnel, primary-care providers have come to depend on AHEC's continuing education programs to help them meet licensure requirements and stay abreast of advances in their fields. These providers save time and money by being able to attend AHEC continuing education programs without leaving their communities, and often without even leaving the workplace. AHEC also functions as a local provider of statewide continuing education teleconferences through the Florida AHEC Network, which develops its educational programs to address priorities established by the Florida Department of Health and AHEC-affiliated providers.
HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER LIBRARY SERVICES
No matter how far they are from a medical library, providers throughout
north Florida are just a phone call away from the University of Florida
Health Science Center Library thanks to AHEC's library services program.
By calling their local AHEC with a literature search or document delivery
request, AHEC affiliates can tap into the library's vast holdings and database
network with indexed citations from more than 3,500 medical journals. A
Health Science Center librarian will search through the medical literature
to find the specific bibliographic citations that best relate to the provider's
practice, or even to a specific patient, and within as little as 24 hours
the requested information will be in the provider's hands.
For links to the University of Florida Health Science Center Library databases and resources go to the Health Science Center Library.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
In addition to library and continuing education services, AHEC functions as a creative problem-solver and information resource for health-care facilities in rural and underserved areas. Whether it be a matter of writing grants, locating resources in a given community, or tapping into expertise at the academic health center, AHEC frequently assists community facilities looking to maintain, expand and enhance services. For example, Suwannee River AHEC supports local community-health organizations by facilitating meetings, sharing resources, and providing strategic planning and computer support services. Among the organizations that have benefited from these services in the past year are the Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs (ACORN) Clinic, Taylor County Health Department and the Alachua County Tobacco-Free Coalition.Big Bend AHEC: Technological Upgrades for Taylor County Health Department
AHEC has helped provide the Taylor County Health Department with the technology necessary to put the most recent medical information at providers' fingertips. Thanks to AHEC, the health department has a modem for Internet access, medical software, a resource library, and a satellite downlink for receiving community medical education. Dr. Jerry Boland, director of the health department, hopes to make the library "a community-wide resource" and said many patients already have benefited from the information in it. "I recently reviewed Big Bend AHEC's interactions with the Taylor County Health Department and was amazed at all that they have done towards improving access, providing education, and helping with recruitment and retention of local providers," Boland said.Northeast Florida AHEC: Quality Assurance Conference
To help providers get a handle on the latest in quality assurance issues and methods, AHEC organized an all-day conference that included a presentation by Ann Greiner of the National Committee on Quality Assurance. The Duval County Health Department and the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida Inc. were partners in organizing the conference, which was attended by 92 people. Among those in attendance were 15 members of the inaugural class of the University of South Florida Public Health Leadership Institute, which selected the conference for inclusion in a year-long series of educational activities for statewide leaders in public health.Suwannee River AHEC: ARNP/PA Continuing Education Program
For each of the last five years, AHEC has offered a continuing education program especially for physician assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners in the Suwannee River service area. The program has been extremely popular among nurse practitioners and physician assistants, since these providers rarely have the opportunity to attend local educational programs designed specifically for them. This year's workshop, which focused on pharmacology updates and legal and documentation issues, brought the total number of nurse practitioners and physician assistants earning continuing education credits through the annual program to 224.West Florida AHEC: Geriatric Education
AHEC conducted a needs assessment of west Florida nursing homes, which have an astonishing 90 percent annual staff turnover rate, and found that directors of nursing wanted help providing skilled technical education for their staff. In response, AHEC developed a program through which two geriatric nursing educators with a combined 45 years of experience offer programs to meet the specific needs of area nursing homes. Staff receive continuing education credits for these programs, which are delivered to each nursing home individually and, when necessary, for different shifts. To date, the program has provided 46 different in-service programs to more than 580 long-term care personnel.
