Montana AHEC Regions
|  |
|
|
|
Welcome to the Winter 2013 issue of Rural Health Delivery, an update on the programs and activities of the Montana AHEC (Area Health Education Center) system and the Montana Office of Rural Health. Together, these organizations are working to address the healthcare workforce needs of the state and improve the health of all Montanans. Your support, interest, and involvement in this work is greatly appreciated!
|
Program Office - MSU Bozeman
|
|
- Pathways to Nursing Webinar -
|
Register for Montana APIN's first webinar: Pathways to Nursing, Thursday, February 28th at 12 pm.
Presented by Erin O'Connor, RN, BSN Mary Nielsen, RN, MSN, Director of Missoula College Nursing Program Wade Hill, PhD, APRN, BC, Associate Professor Montana State University
This webinar provides an overview of professional nursing in Montana. Erin O'Connor defines nursing and describes the knowledge and personal attributes needed for a successful and fulfilling nursing career. Mary Nielsen compares and contrasts roles and responsibilities of the Licensed Practical Nurse and the Registered Nurse including the educational preparation for the RN at the associate degree level. Dr. Wade Hill describes the educational preparation for the RN at the baccalaureate level that provides a foundation for progression in a nursing career toward roles as a clinician, educator, or researcher.
Click here for more information & to register.

To learn more about the Montana APIN grant activities, please visit the Montana Center to Advance Health through Nursing website: http://mtcahn.org/
|
South Central MT AHEC - Dillon
|
|
- South Central MT AHEC Happenings -
|
Our Montana Connections recruitment program is currently at 12 members. Promotional visits have a few additional sites considering membership options. 2012 was a great year for recruiting healthcare professionals! A total of 23 of our candidates were hired throughout the state - this includes seven Physicians, five Dentists, two Nurse Practitioners, two Physician Assistants, one Physical Therapist, one CEO, two Dental Hygienists, one Pharmacy Tech, one Nurse, and one Respiratory Therapist. Contingency options are also available for facilities not wanting to sign up for full Montana Connections membership. For more information on Montana healthcare jobs or recruitment assistance or our Montana Connections Program, visit
MedStart summer camp MSU-Bozeman campus dates are June 16-21, 2013. Applications can be found online at www.mtahec.org. HOSA State Leadership Conference planning is underway. The conference will be held in Great Falls March 21-23, 2013. HOSA membership has risen from 206 members last year to 273 total members! Monida Healthcare is sponsoring a skills day for the Dillon HOSA chapter on February 6, 2013 at Beaverhead High School. There will be 3 stations: a simulation mannequin, injections into oranges, and phlebotomy practice arms.
The State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) has awarded nearly $300,000 in three years to rural healthcare providers across the state, including one physician, three NPs, four PAs, four Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and one dental hygienist. The legislature is currently being asked to continue future funding of the SLRP.
|
|
- NHSC 2013 Application Cycle -
|
Mark your calendar for the 2013 NHSC Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle, which will open in early 2013. Providers can find out more information about the NHSC LRP at NHSC.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment and sign up for an email notification when the cycle opens. They can also check out NHSC member stories and member videos to learn more about a day in the life as a Corps member. Also, new opportunities to apply for the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (newly renamed NurseCorps - see below paragraph) will be available in early 2013. Please share this opportunity with nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse faculty who are interested in loan repayment.
We are also pleased to announce the opening of the 2013 NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program (formerly the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program) application cycle! The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program (LRP) offers Registered Nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses, such as Nurse Practitioners (NPs), an opportunity to repay 60 percent of their outstanding qualifying educational loans in exchange for a two-year service commitment at a Critical Shortage Facility (CSF). NURSE Corps LRP participants may receive additional loan repayment for a third year of service.
The NURSE Corps LRP is adapting to the increasing demand for NPs by reserving up to half of the award funding for NPs; the remaining funding will continue to support RNs and nurse faculty. The NURSE Corps LRP is expected to be competitive. If there are more qualified applicants than available funding, applications will be prioritized based upon the level of financial need of the applicant and the community that the CSF serves. To learn more about the funding preferences, please review the application and program guidance at http://www.hrsa.gov/loanscholarships/repayment/nursing/guidance.pdf
The deadline to apply to NURSE Corps LRP is February 28, 2013, at 7:30 pm ET. Please help us spread the word to potential applicants.
|
Eastern MT AHEC - Billings
|
|
- Eastern MT AHEC Happenings -
|
Tw o new staff people have joined the Eastern Montana AHEC. Melissa Guaderrama is our new administrative assistant. Melissa comes from the San Francisco bay area but spent a great deal of time in Billings visiting her grandparents.
 | Melissa Guaderrama |
Claudia Janecek, Continuing Education Coordinator, formerly of the District 6 Healthcare Learning Center, brings her talents in working with X-Ray limited permit training courses.
 | Claudia Janecek |
Thirteen third year WWAMI students are doing clinical rotations in Billings at Billings Clinic, St. Vincent Healthcare and RiverStone Health. Three third year Pacific Northwest University (PNWU) D.O. students are also doing clinical rotations in Billings, Miles City and Helena this winter. Student schedules are coordinated by the Eastern Montana AHEC as well as those of PA, pharmacy, athletic training, undergraduate, shadowing and MedCareer high school students.
MedStart summer camp at MSU-Billings will be June 23-28, 2013. REACH (Research and Explore Awesome Careers in Healthcare) day camp in Malta was a huge success. Other REACH camps are pending in Sidney and Plentywood.
|
|
- X-Ray Courses Offered -
|
Basic X-Ray Techniques Course
Our Basic X-ray Techniques course will be held on March 8-11 and continue on March 22-25, 2013 at MSU-Billings. Since 1977, this course had been sponsored by District 6 Health Care Learning Center. In fall 2012, this workshop was transferred to Eastern MT AHEC-RiverStone Health. This 104 hour program, which includes a 35 hour correspondence course, is designed to meet the needs of those persons preparing to take the State of Montana, Board of Radiologic Technologist Limited Permit Exam and meets the North Dakota Educational Requirements for Limited X-ray Operators. This program also serves the needs of the Registered Technologist who needs a refresher course. This program has been awarded 67.5 Category A credits from the ASRT-American Society of Radiologic Technologists. Past participants have come from Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota, Nebraska, Alaska, Idaho and Washington. Brochures were mailed in January.
Positioning and Pathology for the X-Ray Limited Permit Holder
This one-day program will be held on Saturday April 27th, 2013. This program is approved for 6 continuing education credits for X-ray limited permit holders in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota.
Any persons who wish to expand their knowledge in the area of radiography would be interested in attending this workshop.
Brochures will be mailed in mid February for this workshop. This workshop will be presented onsite in Billings and offered through the Partners in Health Telemedicine Network.

For more information about this program please contact Claudia Janecek, Continuing Education Coordinator, Eastern Montana AHEC-RiverStone Health, Telephone (406)247-3336 or claudia.jan@riverstonehealth.org
|
North Central MT AHEC - Fairfield
|
|
- North Central MT AHEC Happenings -
|
Our office partnered with MSU-Great Falls for Project Homeless Connect on January 26, 2013. This event provides a single location where nonprofit medical and social service providers collaborate to serve the homeless with comprehensive, holistic and educational services. PHC is free and open to anyone who is having trouble making ends meet, worried about losing their home, or homeless.
A Healthcare Career Workshop is being held at the MSU-Great Falls campus on February 12 from 10:15am to 2:45 pm, with two groups of 150 students to meet with healthcare professionals for "medical rounds." The goal of this workshop is to expose high school students to a variety of health professions and the importance of enrolling in math and science courses. Stop by our booth for hands-on activities and to learn more about healthcare careers in Montana.
Upcoming REACH Camps for the NC region are February 26th at Missouri River Medical Center in Fort Benton for Fort Benton, Highwood, & Geraldine High Schools and April 9th at Marias Medical Center in Shelby for Shelby High School. We will also be attending the Tribal College Fairs in the North Central region: Blackfeet Community College in Browning on February 12th, Stone Child College in Box Elder on February 13th, and Aaniiih' Nakoda College in Harlem on February 14th.
We are sponsoring a Public Service Announcement contest for high school students in the NC region. The objective is to encourage students to look into public health careers as careers of interest, helping to minimize the impending healthcare professions shortage. Applications will be available at www.ncmtahec.org
|
|
- Rural Clinical Rotations -
|
Applications are now being accepted for the Spring 2013 semester!
The goal of the NC MT AHEC Student Rural Clinical Rotations Program is to support health professions students participating in clinical rotations at rural and under-served sites in Montana. Students will receive travel reimbursement for personal car mileage at 0.30 cents per mile.
Clinical rotations for the Registered Nurse program must be at a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), a rural health clinic, a county public health department, a tribal health service, or a Community Health Center (CHC) in North Central Montana. Priority for student selection for support should go to those in their final year of school.
Clinical rotations for the Family Nurse Practitioner program must be at a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), a rural health clinic, a county public health department, a tribal health service, or a Community Health Center (CHC) in North Central Montana. Priority for student selection for support should go to those in their final year of school.
Interested in applying? Contact Jody Haines (406) 455-3315 or jody@mtha.org for more information.
|
Western MT AHEC - Missoula
|
|
- Western MT AHEC Happenings -
|
The WMT AHEC sponsored Rural Behavioral Health-Primary Care Collaborative is currently recruiting for a pre-licensure clinical social worker and post-doctoral psychology graduate to be fully integrated into the primary care rural health clinics in Deer Lodge and Glasgow. Interviews for these positions will take place in February and March. National and local candidates will be considered. UM faculty will provide distance supervision until licensure is obtained. This project is funded by a HRSA Rural Healthcare Services Outreach grant and was begun as a pilot project in Libby. For more information, contact Kaye Norris at kaye.norris@umontana.edu
Western Montana critical access hospitals have graciously stepped forward to support 2012/2013 UM health profession students with their travel expenses incurred while completing rural rotations. These rotations allow students to practice in rural health care settings under professional supervision and gain exposure to rural community life. WMT-AHEC thanks the following hospitals for their generous donations: Clark Fork Valley Hospital; Marcus Daily Memorial Hospital; Mineral Community Hospital; North Valley Hospital; Providence St. Joseph Medical Center; St. Luke Community Healthcare.
The Western Montana AHEC office is sponsoring a Public Service Announcement Contest to be held the week of April 1st in accordance with National Public Health Week. The contest is open to 9th-11th grade students within the Western AHEC region. The winning video will be awarded a state of the art Celestron Microscope for their current school. The objective of this contest is to encourage students to look at public health careers as careers of interest through researching, developing, and creating a 30 to 60 second public service announcement. Contact Anna Buckner at anna.buckner@mso.umt.edu with any questions or go to www.wmtahec.org for more information.
|
|
|
- Citizen Soldier Continuing Education Conference -
|
Save the Date for the next Citizen Soldier Conference.
When: June 7, 2013
Where: Helena
Citizen Soldier is a one-day professional continuing education program that aims to share practical information with healthcare providers about the needs and concerns of service members, veterans and military families along with information about the military culture from which they come. Contact anna.buckner@mso.umt.edu for more information.

|
|
AHEC - The Basics
|
 The Montana AHEC mission is to improve the supply and distribution of healthcare professionals, with an emphasis on primary care, through community/academic educational partnerships, in order to increase access to quality healthcare. We work to connect students to healthcare careers, professionals to communities, and communities to better health. To fulfill our mission, we focus on these key areas:
1. Programs and resources for K-12 students and teachers to generate interest in healthcare professions
2. Placement and support of health profession students in rural rotations throughout the state
3. Recruitment and retention of qualified healthcare professionals to Montana
4. Continuing Education programs for practicing healthcare professionals
Montana has 4 regional AHEC offices - Eastern, located in Billings- South Central, located in Dillon - Western, located in Missoula - and the North Central, located in Fairfield.
|
Please contact us with your comments, ideas, questions or projects you'd like to see highlighted in future issues of this e-newsletter.
Thank you for the work you do every day to improve the healthcare industry and the health of all Montanans!! |
|
|