This spring, high school students across Pennsylvania will participate in a virtual health career exploration program offered by Pennsylvania AHEC. The Students Exploring And Researching Careers in Health (SEARCH) Academy will meet once a month from January to May 2021 and will offer opportunities for students to learn about a variety of healthcare professions. SEARCH Academy programming is designed to help students explore health careers and academic paths to those careers, connect with health professionals in a variety of fields, and participate in hands-on learning activities.   

Careers that will be featured in the Spring 2021 sessions include physicians and physician assistants, oral health care professionals, physical therapists and athletic trainers, emergency medical professionals, and nurses.

Students can apply to attend one or all of the sessions and are encouraged to apply early as space is limited. Students who apply and are accepted four weeks prior to each event will be mailed supplemental hands-on learning material relevant to that month’s subject. For more information about this program, visit www.paahecsearch.org or email cpolit@sepaahec.org.

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants how to help someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. The training helps participants identify, understand, and respond to signs of addiction and mental illness.

Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addictions concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.

SE PA AHEC now offers Mental Health First Aid training, which can be done virtually.  If you are interested in having SE PA AHEC facilitate Mental Health First Aid training at your organization, contact Christine Polit at cpolit@sepaahec.org.

Pennsylvania AHEC Scholar Spotlight

Meet Nate Meeks, AHEC Scholar from Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Nate is a senior in West Chester University/Bryn Mawr Hospital's Respiratory Care program. Originally from from Stockton, Missouri, Nate served four years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps before attending West Chester University and is currently in his sixth year in the Marine Corps Reserves.

Nate's interest in respiratory care developed during his time in the military. His training included several medical training courses, which he enjoyed, and led to an interest in working in critical care. He found respiratory care to be the "...perfect blend of technical expertise [and] an integral part of the health care team".

Nate joined the PA AHEC Scholars program to prepare for his career working as a member of an interprofessional team, and finds the exposure to students in varying programs to be excellent preparation for future collaborative efforts. Now, as a second-year Scholar, Nate enjoys the variety of subjects covered in the program: "Studying multiple subjects ranging from poverty to opioid addiction has allowed me to better ready myself for the patients that I will see in the future."

Nate and his wife live in West Chester, PA with their Cavapoo and he plans to work in a critical care setting in a large hospital upon graduation next year.

The AHEC Scholars program is a two-year interdisciplinary career preparation program available to college students pursuing degrees in health professions. Applications for the 2020-2022 cohort are still open. To learn more and apply, visit www.paahecscholars.org.