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Med Start Applications Due April 19th | | Med Start, a FREE one week summer camp for high school students, will take place July 18 - 25th at MSU in Bozeman. | |
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| | Health Workforce Information Center |
A great resource on healthcare workforce data, scholarships, grant opportunities, events, continuing education, and MORE!
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Connecting Students to Health Careers
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| Greetings!
When did you first know "what you wanted to do when you grew up?"
The path to a career takes as many different forms as there are different individuals.
One person may be wild about collecting bugs at age 5, and thirty years later, be pursuing a Ph.D. in Entomology! Another may pursue a variety of interests growing up, and meet that great teacher as a junior in college who inspires her to get her own teaching credentials. Still another might put home and family first in the list of priorities and enter the family business. More and more these days, adults are returning to school to get trained for a second...or third...career, as they adjust to new marketplace realities and to their own interests and self-knowledge.
How can we help students think through this complicated labyrinth of decisions? By providing exposure to many options, supporting and encouraging them, and ensuring that their preparation will leave many doors open to them in the future.
Thanks for being their guides -- and be sure use the Montana AHEC system as a resource to help you, and them! |
| Nursing Scholarship | Do you Know a Senior Planning to Enter a Nursing Program?
HRSA's Nursing Scholarship Program (NSP) application period begins April 1st through May 6, 2010. The Nursing Scholarship Program pays tuition, education-related expenses (including books, clinical supplies and laboratory fees) and a living stipend. In exchange, scholars are committed to work for at least 2 years after graduation at a health facility with a critical shortage of nurses. Preference is given to qualified applicants with the greatest financial need who are enrolled full-time in an undergraduate RN program. Applicants must begin classes for the Fall term on or after July 1, 2010 and no later than September 30, 2010. It is
expected that 500 awards will be made for the 2010-2011 school year.
Frequently Asked Questions: Q: Who is eligible? US Citizens enrolled or accepted as a full-time or part-time student in an accredited school of nursing in a professional registered nurse program (baccalaureate, graduate, associate degree, or diploma). Applicants must be free from any Federal judgment liens, existing service commitments and not delinquent on a Federal debt.
Q: What is the scholarship amount and service obligation? The scholarship award pays for tuition, fees, other reasonable educational costs and includes a $1,269 monthly stipend. In return, the student agrees to provide a minimum of 2 years of full or part time clinical service at a health care facility with a shortage of nurses upon graduation.
Q: What sites are eligible? NSP participants must fulfill their service obligations at a health center, rural health clinic, hospital, home health agency, nursing home or other type of eligible critical shortage facility. Participants earn a competitive salary and benefits package, paid by the facility, while fulfilling the service obligation.
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| Resources about Nutrition & Health | Montana Smart Screen Time Project
Media, including TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies, "are among the most powerful forces in young people's lives today" according to a 2010 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Increasingly, very young children (5 years and under) are also being targeted by advertisers, game manufacturers, educational DVD companies, and television networks. Despite the increased availability of a variety of screen media aimed at young children, only recently have we begun to understand this age group's use of media or the impact this exposure has on their health and early development. Understanding the role of media in young people's lives is essential for those concerned about promoting the healthy development of children and adolescents, including parents, pediatricians, policymakers, children's advocates, educators, and public health groups. Consequently the Montana Nutrition and Physical Activity Program (NAPA) is dedicated to providing practical and research-based information to these groups so they can better understand how best to address this important issue. NAPA is currently redesigning its website (www.montananapa.org) to improve the resources and information in the Screen Time Reduction section. It is their hope that by connecting with each other across the state, best practices and lessons learned as well as relevant research can be shared. For more information, please contact Hannah Cowgill at 406.994.4612. |
| Grant Opportunity | | Post Cereals and the National Wellness Institute Announce the Opportunity to Win a $25,000 Grant
Aimed at empowering individuals to take initiative in improving their communities, the Post Grant for Good Health will award $25,000 to the plan for the best health and wellness community project.
From planting public gardens, to building a playground to creating a fitness center, applicants can submit their 300-word essay until May 17, 2010. Post and the National Wellness Institute will help select the top finalists, who will be featured on http://postnatural.com/where the public can vote for the project they find most meaningful from June 1 to July 12, 2010. The winner will be announced at the 35th Annual National Wellness Conference in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, July 22, 2010.
Have an idea for improving your community? Get started by visiting http://postnatural.com/ for entry details. |
| Financial Aid Resources | |
Just in Time for Graduating Seniors...
According to Forbes.com, the average college student graduates with $22,700 in loan debt. Can you imagine how you would pay this money back? The proposed Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) would increase the amount of money available for borrowers and help lower monthly payments when loans come due. Learn more about the Reconciliation Act of 2010 and Significant Student Aid Provisions.A two-year or four-year college degree offers many options and choices in life: upward mobility, the opportunity to start your own business, the ability to think critically, and apply your creativity to solve real problems in the world. This is a great time to obtain a college degree and pursue your dream of becoming a healthcare professional.
In addition to learning about provisions included in the Reconciliation Act of 2010, below are additional funding sources to pay for college:
- The Find Funding database offers hundreds of scholarships, loans and loan repayment programs to help you pay for school.
- Paying for College can be overwhelming process. This site can help by explaining the distinctions between loans, grants and scholarships and make you aware of potential scams.
- Get the government to pay off your student loans: Federal agencies and state governments will help pay off students loans for certain health care practitioners if they agree to practice in geographically or economically underserved communities for a certain length of time after they graduate.
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| Website of the Month |
Watch Live Surgeries! http://www.orlive.com/ This website offers the chance to view surgeries and procedures on-line via live video streaming and webcasts. Students can watch an Aortic Aneurysm Repair or a Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) Lobectomy or even watch a live webcast for Treatment of Acid Reflux! The opportunities are endless and this site offers a great look into the "real world" of our surgeons and other healthcare providers. |
| Free Webinar: Understanding & Treating Childhood Traumatic Stress |
OPI Renewal Units Available
The Montana Center for Childhood trauma reports that "10-50% of children in the United States are victims of violence at school, in the home, or within their community. As a result, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become an escalating concern in our society. Unfortunately, PTSD often co-occurs with other disorders such as depression and can lead to problematic behaviors such as suicide attempts and juvenile delinquency. In addition, research suggests that children who live in impoverished conditions and who are members of minority groups may be more likely to develop PTSD."
A brief and very informative power-point webinar has been developed to introduce Montana teachers to the concept of childhood trauma, the possible impacts of childhood trauma on their students, and its prevalence among Native American students in particular. Also included are suggestions for teaching and responding effectively.
Upon completion of the presentation, teachers choosing to complete and submit a quiz will be eligible for OPI Renewal credits.
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Career Spotlight
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Acupuncture / Oriental Medicine
Acupuncture/Oriental Medicine (AOM) is an ancient and empirical system of medicine based on the concept of qi (pronounced "chee"), which is usually translated as energy.
 AOM treatments identify a pattern of energetic imbalance within a patient and redress that disharmony through a variety of therapies that may include acupuncture needling, cupping, acupressure, and exercises such as tai jiand qi gong, as well as Chinese herbal preparations.
AOM is virtually free of the side effects that accompany many modern medical procedures. As a relatively inexpensive form of treatment, it is especially appropriate for reducing healthcare costs. The success of acupuncture today is due to its efficacy, remarkable safety record, cost-effectiveness, and significant public demand.
The prospects for finding a good job in this field are excellent for the foreseeable future. AOM is one of the most requested forms of treatment in the fast-growing field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and holds promise as one of the key modalities to be used in current and future integrative medical settings. A recent Institute of Medicine report noted the widespread use of CAM in the U.S., with patients making more visits to CAM practitioners than to primary care physicians.
National average salary for Acupuncture / Oriental Medicine is $30,00 - $150,000 with 5-8 years of school required.
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| AHEC - The Basics |
This E-News is being sent to you by the Montana Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in order to open a dialogue among educators about Health Science Education for K-12 students of Montana. Through this newsletter we intend to:
1) build a shared resource of activities, materials, and lesson plans to draw on in teaching the health sciences
2) highlight the cross-curriculum nature of the health sciences
3) build an interest in and awareness of health career paths for students in the state of Montana
Please contact us with your comments, ideas, questions or projects you'd like to see highlighted in future issues of this e-newsletter. And thank you for the work you do every day to inspire and support Montana kids! |
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Sincerely,
Montana AHECs (Area Health Education Centers)
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