Health education isn't always accessible in rural Alaska, The Alaska Center for Rural Health & Health Workforce (ACRH-HW) combats this by offering programming that meets youth in their home communities or brings them to a location where they have the opportunity to explore professional facilities and meet health professionals. ACRH-HW is committed to engaging and training Alaska’s youth into the health workforce to support rural and underserved areas in the state. 

One way ACRH-HW implements their mission is through a new program called Rural Health Career and Technical Education Programs of Study (CTEPS), funded through the Alaska Department of Education. CTEPS provides hands-on experiential training in allied health and behavioral health fields for Middle School and High School students. Each course consists of a week-long curriculum and provides participants the opportunity  to earn both high school and college credit. 

In May, ACRH-HW partnered with UAA’s Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing (RRANN) to provide Rural Health CTEPS programming to 15 high school students from all over Alaska. Participants earned college credit for completing UAA’s Professionalism in Healthcare course, instructed by Ian McCarthy, K-12 Education Coordinator for the ACRH-HW. Students learned about professional employability and cultural competency to provide high quality health care. This course not only consisted of hands-on training but also visits to professional health facilities in Anchorage, where students were introduced to practicing health professionals. 

The students had fun exploring UAA’s Anchorage campus and Alaska Pacific University, Providence Alaska Medical Center, and Southcentral Foundation. One student said, "I wasn’t sure if nursing was for me, but after touring the nursing classrooms, and talking to some nurses and advisors I am very interested in nursing! I can’t say enough good things about this program!” 

Students beamed with smiling faces at the Psychology Departments Rat Lab, where they were allowed to interact with and hold the rat subjects. At the WWAMI Medical School Cadaver Lab they had an up close look at a human spinal cord, brain, and heart. Students also participated in the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s youth Alaska Blanket Exercise training and visited the School of Nursing skills lab. 

In September, Education Coordinator, Samir Akal traveled to Cordova, Alaska where he instructed UAA’s Introduction to Behavioral Health Course for credit and Teen Mental Health First Aid to 15 Cordova High School students. This Rural Health CTEPS course provides personal development and skills to support others in reference to behavioral health. Students explored art therapy through journaling and painting masks as a tool for coping with  or processing their own or other’s emotions. Students painted  a wide range of  colors and scenes as they shared their feelings with their classmates. They learned about stress management, communication skills, cultural competency and explored career paths within the field of behavioral health. 

ACRH-HW, in partnership with Alaska’s AHEC, is excited to continue offering Rural Health CTEPS courses in the coming year. If you are interested in learning more, please visit our website.