National AHEC Week, from March 24 to March 28, 2025, offers an opportunity to recognize the significant contributions of Area Health Education Centers nationwide. At Northwest AHEC, we're proud to celebrate this week by highlighting our ongoing efforts to improve healthcare delivery in our 17-county region.

The Northwest AHEC Scholars participated in the 2nd Annual Emerging Leaders in Healthcare Conference on February 7th, marking a significant event in their educational journey and professional development.

This conference, now in its second year, is a pivotal part of the NC AHEC's broader mission to recruit, train, and retain a skilled and dedicated workforce essential for fostering a healthier North Carolina. By engaging in this mission, the NC AHEC Scholars are actively contributing to a brighter future for the healthcare workforce, ensuring that it is well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of the community.

 Impressively, 31 of our dedicated Scholars were present at the event, joining a total of 157 NCAHEC Scholars from various AHECs across the state. The conference featured a lineup of excellent speakers who shared valuable insights and knowledge, enhancing the learning experience for all attendees. Hosted by UNCC, the event included engaging speakers and interactive simulations on Saturday afternoon, providing a dynamic and immersive educational experience.

As a fun and memorable touch, students received NC AHEC Scholars cowboy hats during the Cultural Competency-Western event, which added a unique flair to the occasion. This was part of their visit to a requested number of vendors, further enriching their understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity within the healthcare field.

Learn more about the NC AHEC Scholars Program at Northwest AHEC

In November 2024 the NC Health Talent Alliance released new analysis of supply and demand data for key health care jobs in North Carolina. The data, which quantifies the depth and breadth of our talent challenges, is the cornerstone of the NC Health Talent Alliance’s efforts to develop a demand-driven workforce system tailored to North Carolina health care employers’ unique needs. The NC Chamber Foundation and the NC Center on the Workforce for Health formally launched the landmark NC Health Talent Alliance public-private partnership in 2023 to address the state’s critical health care workforce shortages.  

Northwest Area Health Education Center (Northwest AHEC), part of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since 1974, Northwest AHEC has served as a primary resource for educational activities and services with a focus on primary care in rural communities and areas with less access to resources. Northwest AHEC provides advanced training to health care professionals and students to recruit, train and retain the workforce needed to create a healthy North Carolina.

Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC) celebrates 50 years in 2024. Since 1974, we have served as a primary resource for educational activities and services with a focus on primary care in rural communities and those with less access to resources. We provide advanced training to healthcare professionals and students to recruit, train and retain the workforce needed to create a healthy North Carolina. 

Health Careers & Workforce Diversity hosted the 1st annual statewide Emerging Leaders in Healthcare Conference for AHEC Scholars from February 16-18, 2024. This event, tailored for Scholars in Cohorts 5 and 6, drew approximately 169 AHEC Scholars to the Piedmont AHEC region for 20 hours of vital didactic education as part of a new statewide enrichment model complementing region-specific didactic hours across AHEC centers.

The nation’s Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) will celebrate National AHEC Week March 25-29. During the week, the National AHEC Organization will highlight AHECs’ work strengthening the healthcare workforce and improving access to quality healthcare.

The North Carolina Area Health Education Center (NCAHEC) is offering a live webinar that will build upon the 2023 teaching strategies for the experienced nurse preceptor. This year we will take a deep dive into generational differences and strategies to foster communication, techniques/strategies to utilize when precepting someone from a different generation and / or someone with more experience and explain how to address the experience complexity gap in nursing. Learn from a panel of experienced preceptors how to handle challenges and how to advance preceptor skills in today’s healthcare environment.  Join us!

Dear Healthcare Partners, 

In an effort to better address the significant shortage of health care workers, Northwest AHEC is partnering with the NC Center on the Workforce for Health (NC AHEC, Sheps Center, NC IOM), the NC Chamber Foundation to develop and implement a plan to create the next generation of healthcare clinicians and staff.