The Coordinator, Health Careers Education will be responsible for promoting health careers and health education awareness to youth in schools, undergraduate students within the region, and to the general population in support of the mission of Northeast Kentucky Area Health Education Center. This position will be responsible for providing support for all health career activities conducted within the 17 counties of the Northeast AHEC region. This position will provide support for health career education to include but not be limited to: development, recruitment, and facilitation of regional health career camps; after-school programs for the promotion of health careers; and other types of health career awareness activities within the region.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Acts as a contact for health careers pipeline activities in the Northeast AHEC 17-county service area.
• Coordinates various aspects of the Northeast AHEC’s health careers pipeline programming from high school (e.g., Rural Health Scholars program) to undergraduate health professions student initiatives (e.g., Summer Health Internship Program (SHIP). This includes, but is not limited to, program promotion, participant and host site selection, developing program content, chaperoning students, program evaluation, budgetary management, etc.
• Actively participates in grant applications and budget development to sustain the Northeast AHEC’s health careers pipeline programs (or to create new pipeline initiatives).
• Develops and enhances collaborative relationships with key personnel in regional school districts, academic institutions, and health care institutions, other AHECs, community partners, and parents.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with individual school administrative personnel, applicable teachers, guidance counselors, and designated others from regional (middle and high) schools.
• In collaboration with regional school districts, develops and implements school-based health career and health education awareness activities at the local level within the schools themselves (to include after-school workshops, demonstrations, etc.).
• Facilitates the development and production of regional summer camps within the local communities to promote health career awareness among high school or middle school students within the Northeast AHEC region. For the Northeast AHEC’s Rural Health Scholar summer camp, is responsible for developing the curriculum, recruiting speakers, supervising camp staff/interns, and other logistics (e.g., catering, transportation, etc.).
• Develops partnerships with regional universities and community colleges for the implementation of health career activities within their campuses or other facilities (e.g., the MSU Craft Academy, Career Craze at Maysville Community & Technical College, etc.).
• Develops multiple after-school and/or summer programs for students interested in health careers.
• Partners with 4-H, Ag Extension and/or other related UK programs to provide health career activities to middle or high school students.
• Responsible for the maintenance and updating of database on contacts related to health careers programming (students, teachers, parents, administrators, etc.).
• Develops programming for teachers (i.e., teacher institute or summer program), guidance counselors, and parents on various health careers to include benefits of choosing a health career, what to tell interested students, general education on various health careers, college coursework requirements, and other identified needs.
• Provides input into the development of health career marketing materials (web page, brochures, fliers, program guides, etc.) for the AHEC program.
• Provides necessary quarterly, annual progress, or federal reports to include financial reports as needed.
• Participates actively in Northeast AHEC strategic planning and assists with budget preparation, development, and management for health careers pipeline initiatives.
• Maintains a working knowledge of the health care delivery systems in northeastern Kentucky to include facilities and providers within the designated AHEC counties.
• Attends meetings to include: Northeast AHEC Advisory Board meetings, state and national AHEC meetings, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville state meetings, and other meetings as deemed appropriate.
• Participates as an active member of the AHEC team to include involvement with annual AHEC events (i.e., Preceptor Recognition Celebration, student socials, etc.).

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal communication skills (both oral and written) and effective organizational skills are necessary.
• Must be able to work successfully with professionals from all health care disciplines, school systems, academic institutions, and the local community. Activities and decisions are varied in nature and require independent action and judgment in making decisions.
• Must have the demonstrated ability to manage multiple, complex tasks and programs.
• Must have the drive and determination to push themselves independently.

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field such as health promotion, health education, health professions, biological sciences, or allied health required.

Experience:

One to two years of work experience in a health care or educational setting preferred.

Licensure/Certification:

Valid Driver’s License, Basic Life Support (BLS) certified, BLS Instructor-certified.