sriAHEC activities are in compliance with AHEC national guidelines including:
- Recruit historically under-represented students of color and disadvantaged students into health professions through a broad range of programs
What is the Pathways to Nursing Program?
The Pathways to Nursing program was created by the partnership of sriAHEC and the College of Nursing at the University of Rhode Island to recruit, support, retain and graduate educationally, economically or socially disadvantaged students, particularly from communities of color. Through appropriate sequencing or pacing of the Pathways to Nursing curriculum, mentoring and equipment support, the program aims to promote success for students and to connect graduates back to underserved Latino, Asian, Native and African American communities in Rhode Island.
What Supports Do Pathways Scholars Receive from Southern RI AHEC?
- Laptops & iPod Touches for the 18 student who otherwise would be at an economic disadvantage in undertaking their studies at the college level and accessing essential medical and pharmacological training references
- Mentoring support by a Nursing faculty member and by the TD program
- Re-sequencing of challenging science courses throughout the four year program, including summers
- Hiring of a faculty member with proven success in teaching diverse students in Anatomy & Physiology and a student tutor to assist for the fall and spring semesters
- Diversity Week (4-8 October 2010) collaborations with URI’s Multicultural Center:
- Special Dinner for Pathways Students:
Diversity Week keynote speaker, Dr. Esteban Gonzalez Burchard, an expert on genomics, personalized medicine and the impact of race and ethnicity on the incidence and treatment of disease shared his experiences as a successful achiever from a working class Latino community in an engaging motivational discussion with the students. - Special Program to Promote Cultural Competency for College of Nursing faculty, staff and students:
A workshop, “Historical Perspectives on Childbirth, health-care Disparities and the Management of Women’s Lives in the United States Medical System” was an informative collaboration of Drs. Marie Jenkins Schwartz, History; Diane Martins, Nursing; and Delores M. Walters, sriAHEC. Go to sriAHEC Resources Page to see a Power Point presentation of the workshop.
Reflections on Diversity Week, including memorable moments can be found at www.uri.edu/mcc
We especially want to thank Melvin Wade for his leadership in providing a welcoming environment for the Pathways scholars in their first semester at URI and for presenting these students with role models who effectively connected with them as future professionals who share a history of survival.
What Are the Goals of the Pathways Program?
Short-Term Goals:
To insure that the first class of Pathways Scholars succeed in their college careers and remain motivated toward choosing a career in the health-care field
Long-Term Goals:
To sustain a steady enrollment of historically underrepresented, highly qualified students in the Pathways program and connect graduates back to underserved communities (especially Newport).
Toward these ends, Southern RI AHEC will engage in outreach by
- Linking high school students with current Pathways scholars via Face Book and campus visits
- Apprising middle and high school guidance counselors of math and science requisites for entering health-careers training at URI and opportunities beyond graduation
- Developing a summer program for prospective students to receive hands-on exposure to health-care practice and practitioners
2 Heathman Rd., White Hall
Kingston, RI 02881
Phone: (401) 874-2768
Fax: (401) 874-2753
