Review of the Area Health Education Center Scholars Didactic Curricula: A Federal Program for Students Interested in Rural Health

The objective of this review is to critically evaluate the Area Health Education Center Scholars' didactic curricula and determine whether the goal of developing a sustainable rural healthcare workforce is achievable under the program. The didactic curricula from the Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina programs were evaluated using a context-input-process-product model and a mixed-methods approach. Modules were assessed for their content and mode of delivery, and whether the eight competency domains from the Council on Education for Public Health were incorporated. Student evaluations from the 2019–2020 cohort were also examined to identify themes from each module. On average, across modules, nearly all students strongly agreed or agreed that the facilitator had been responsive (97%); that the modules had been clearly outlined (95%), easy to understand (96%), not overly time-consumptive (96%), and relatable to their career (96%); and felt that their understanding had improved (97%) and felt satisfied overall (96%). Some argued, however, that parts of the content may have been lengthy and dense, and that there were insufficient materials tailored toward healthcare professionals, including the cultural barriers of populations they are expected to attend to and actionable ways to advocate for patients. Public health policy, leadership, and communication competencies were noticeably absent in several modules. It is recommended that modules be amended to include components that students felt were instructive. It is also suggested that a committee standardize the core curricula; local programs may then tailor them as needed.