We support students, preceptors, and health sciences schools.

As part of our mission to meet the state’s health and health workforce needs, NC AHEC supports health sciences students from North Carolina colleges and universities and helps schools secure community practitioners—preceptors—to teach the next generation of health professionals.

Quality community-based education requires effective partnerships among students, schools, and community preceptors.

Community-based student rotations are important parts of any health science student’s education. NC AHEC supports a variety of learning experiences, particularly at locations in rural and underserved areas. Allied health, dentistry, medicine, nursing, public health, pharmacy, and social work students receive part of their training away from academic centers—in community hospitals, physicians’ offices, rural health centers, public health departments, mental health centers, and other health-related settings. We arrange short-term housing so health sciences students can complete their community rotations. We also help facilitate community placement and problem-solve logistical issues.

All health sciences schools depend on community preceptors to help train their students. NC AHEC helps secure community practitioners to precept students, and we assist schools in recruiting new community sites for learning. We provide financial, informational, and educational incentives to providers willing to precept, and we support preceptor development with approved training courses and by providing preceptors with full access to the AHEC Digital Library, which includes Medline and other evidence-based resources.

If you are a clinician who would like to learn more about precepting or if you would like precepting assistance, contact your AHEC.