NCI-Area Health Education Center and FEDCO announce successful Student Rural Communications and Networking Workshop

North Central Indiana AHEC (Area Health Education Center) recently completed its inaugural launch of the Communicating and Networking in Rural Communities Workshop for students of its AHEC Scholars Program. 

The Scholars program centers on building a healthcare workforce here in north central Indiana.  Recognizing the underserved populations in Indiana rural communities, AHEC strives to provide education and experience to future and current healthcare professionals with the intention of producing excellence in healthcare as well as building a pipeline of future healthcare workers in the region.

This workshop hosted healthcare students from Indiana University, Marian University, and Purdue University.  The workshop was created as a way to introduce the students to Indiana rural community characteristics, values and culture.  It also served to initiate them to communicating effectively in rural areas utilizing listening techniques, verbal / interpersonal communication, proper etiquette and usage of email, texting, phone, handshakes and other communication skills.  They participated in body language and personal space demonstrations, and generational and cultural differences in the workplace.

In the second part of the workshop, scholars learned about the value and importance of networking, being involved in the communities they serve and giving back to their communities.  Additionally, they heard about the differences between extroverts and introverts, participated in a fun online quiz, shared personal struggles with networking and were given tips to making the most of networking events whether their key tendency was toward being an introvert or extrovert as well as discussing the importance of maintaining relationships.  The day concluded with an interactive “mock” networking event which was highly praised by all attendees. 

One student said, “I really appreciated the chance to practice the networking skills we’d just discussed…this really helped me put myself out there.  I’ve never had a “mock networking” event, but I feel more confident now.”

NCI-AHEC is hosted by Fulton Economic Development Corporation and serves the eleven counties of Benton, White, Pulaski, Fulton, Cass, Carroll, Tippecanoe, Clinton, Tipton, Howard and Miami.  To learn more about the program, contact Executive Director Janiece Stover at jstover.nci_ahec@ymail.com or visit their website at https://www.nciahec.org.

The Communications and Networking workshop was contracted and facilitated throughKimberly Pinkerton (Kimberly’s Business by Design, LLC) and Amy Beechy (Project Matters, LLC.) NCI AHEC Program Coordinator/Scholars Lead Shannon Stoner and Youth Program Coordinator Emma Goldenstern assisted at the workshop.