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Medical
Third- and fourth-year medical students and residents at South Texas AHEC are gaining clinical training experiences in:

	Family practice
	General Medicine
	Pediatrics
	Pediatric Subspecialties
	Geriatrics
	Psychiatry
	Podiatry

Additional medical rotations such as environmental medicine, ophthalmology, and obstetrics/gynecology are planned for implementation.

Dental

Dental Programs offer opportunities in clinical training and dental public health to dental students and residents. Clinical dentistry students and residents help provide dental care to resident in underserved regions of South Texas as part of the mobile dental van program, and through preventative dentistry programs for school-age children.

Nursing
Bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs are available in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.  The Nurse Practitioner program is operated as a distance education program for students throughout South Texas. 

Pharmacy
Baccalaureate and doctoral-level pharmacy students have the opportunity to complete required training in one of many AHEC-affiliated community-based training sites in South Texas.

Public Health
The South Texas AHEC supports and provides collaborative continuing education programs designed to meet the needs of community-based public health workers as well as faculty development for a planned graduate public health program based in South Texas.

Allied Health
AHEC-affiliated sites also offer clinical training experiences to bachelor and master’s level physician assistant students from several Texas Universities including the new PA program at the UTHSCSA Laredo Campus Extension.

In addition to supporting clinical training for dental hygiene students, AHEC works with Texas State Technical College in Harlingen on providing certificate programs in Dental Assistance and Emergency Medical Technology. This also includes Continuing Education course to existing Certified Allied Health Professionals. The emergency medical technology program provides continuing education and/or certificate courses in life support, paramedic field training, and tactical medic. 

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LOCALLY BASED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

The South Texas AHEC supports the establishment of allied health and nursing programs at remote South Texas institutions of higher education.  These community based academic programs offer health care students and professionals the opportunity to fulfill academic requirements for professional advancement without leaving their communities, families, or jobs for extended periods of time.  Participating schools include:
 

	The University of Texas at Brownsville
	Southwest Texas Junior College
	The University of Texas-Pan American
	Texas State Technical College
	Texas Southmost College

CONTINUING EDUCATION
The AHEC provides local access to the latest information and resources through continuing education programs, teaching, and consultation with UTHSCSA faculty. Courses are based on expressed community need and have included topics such as:
 

	Pediatric tuberculosis
	Diabetes
	HIV/AIDS
	Child Abuse
	Geriatrics
	Hypertension
	Pediatric Lead Screening

Academic Inforatic Services at UTHSCSA provides training to local professionals in teaching and evaluation skills to optimize the experiences of students, residents, and postgraduates participating in AHEC clinical training.

HEALTH EDUCATION/PROMOTION
AHEC works with health practitioners and agencies to improve their access to health-related information and training so they, in turn, can work more effectively in designing health promotion and disease preventing activities at the community level.

RECRUITMENT & TRAINING OF FUTURE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
AHEC-sponsored health careers programs assist communities in “growing their own” health professionals by providing training and support to help young people In South Texas enter and succeed in health professions educational programs.

Health careers coordinators work with local school districts to introduce students to health-oriented career opportunities and assist teachers and counselors in identifying resources for interested students.

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES
Various resources are available to assist students, health professionals, and health care organizations such as:
 

	Services of a circuit librarian
	Computer images with traditional librarian
	Computer linkages with traditional library services
	On-line databases UTHSCSA-based resources

These services locate up-to-date research, diagnostic, and treatment information.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The South Texas AHEC is playing an integral role in establishing interactive telecommunications links between UTHSCSA and remote training sites. Telecommunications capabilities now link remote affiliated clinical training sites, South Texas, the UTHSCSA campus, and the emergency room of the primary teaching hospital in San Antonio. Teleconferencing programming includes educational coursework, student/resident supervision, medical diagnosis and consultation, administrative and research collaboration, continuing education, and community education.

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
By placing the leadership for AHEC programs within the local communities, the AHEC facilitates opportunities for South Texas Communities to influence, develop, or modify the development of health care educational system that best meets their needs.
 

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