Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and the Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) work with state and local health associations, universities, community colleges, hospitals, and community organizations to serve constituents in the Northwest AHEC 17-county region and across the state. We provide activities that increase knowledge, as well as renew clinical and professional skills.  

Please take about 5 minutes to complete this needs assessment.

Planning for future activities will be based on your input, survey deadline is January 24^th. We value your feedback. 

    
There are no known risks or personal benefits to completing this survey; however, the knowledge gained will benefit the planning of Northwest AHEC/OCME continuing education activities. Completing the survey is voluntary, and neither completing nor declining to complete the survey will affect your participation in any Northwest AHEC/OCME activity. This information will only be used to determine educational needs and methods of course delivery. The only identifiable data that will be collected are name and email if you choose to provide them. If you have questions or comments about this survey, contact ahecmktg@wakehealth.edu.  

If you don’t know already, 2024 was the year of the podcasts. Podcasts have truly democratized content on the internet as anyone with a microphone can record, publish, and easily distribute episodes to anyone interested in the topic. Whether it is sport, politics, science, health, medicine, cars…just about any topic you can think of probably has several podcasts discussing it at any given time. And the number of podcasts and listeners continue to grow exponentially. In fact, podcasts outnumber audio books by a factor of 6 to 1.

Is there an easier way to learn and earn CE credits than to listen to a podcast while you are working out, cooking, doing yard work, or running errands? I can't think of one. In fact, I personally love listening and recording podcasts. And we've made it easy and cost effective to learn and earn with our Podcast CE Learning Series. So click to listen, register for credit, and pass the post-test to earn an hour of CE credits for your continuing educational development needs. All it costs is your time and attention; there is no fee!

We recently published two new timely and relevant episodes to our Podcast CE learning series where you can listen, learn, take a short post-test, and earn an hour CE credit for each episode.

What do sleep, homelessness, electroconvulsive therapy, and Alzheimer's have in common? They are all part of our Podcast CE learning series. Listen to a podcast, pass the post-test, and earn an hour of continuing education credits for your professional development, and there is no cost! Get the details here: https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/podcastce 

Why a Podcast Learning Series? 
Podcasts have emerged as a popular learning tool for adult learners, offering flexibility and accessibility. Recent research has explored the effectiveness of podcasts in educational settings, focusing on how they contribute to knowledge acquisition, engagement, and retention among adult learners.

Studies suggest that podcasts can be effective in enhancing knowledge acquisition and retention. Adult learners appreciate the convenience and ability to learn on the go, which fits well with their often busy schedules. Podcasts have been shown to improve understanding and retention, especially when paired with supplementary materials such as transcripts or quizzes.

Podcasts are highly engaging due to their conversational style, which often makes complex topics more accessible. Research shows that learners are more likely to stay engaged with the material when it is delivered in an audio format, especially if the content is structured in a narrative or storytelling format.

The ability to listen to podcasts at any time and place is particularly beneficial for adult learners who may struggle to find time for traditional learning methods. This flexibility can lead to higher levels of motivation and self-directed learning.

See our current podcast course offerings here: https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/podcastce 

Pastor and founder of MedicareSchool.com joins us for a primer on Medicare. He demystifies Medicare, when and how it begins, what you can receive, and cost considerations. And he shares the decision making processes (and common mistakes) people make when choosing their coverage.

As part of the NCDHHS grant funded North Carolina Community Health Worker Standardized Core Competency Training, these self-paced, online specialty training courses were launched in late August 2022. Northwest AHEC worked with Mountain AHEC to develop the course materials and the pre- and post-tests based on course content and used these to assess knowledge outcomes. The results gathered by UNC Pembroke show strong uptake of the information presented in the courses.

Three years after the world shut down and forced a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19 pandemic response, Northwest AHEC is looking back and REFLECTING on what we have learned.

We have some great activities planned upcoming. Most activities are still virtual learning with blended learning options. We have some IN PERSON activities coming up. See some upcoming programs we've highlighted...and be sure to check out our Course Catalog to view all of the activities.

We have some great activities planned upcoming. Most activities are still virtual learning with blended learning options. We have some IN PERSON activities coming up. See below some upcoming programs we've highlighted...and be sure to check out our Course Catalog to view all of the activities.

We have some great activities planned upcoming. Most activities are still virtual learning with blended learning options. We have some IN PERSON activities coming up this Fall. See below some upcoming programs we've highlighted...and be sure to check out our Course Catalog to view all of the activities.