Western Washington Area Health Education Center

Links to other AHECS, Agencies, and Resources



K-12 and Pre-Professional Education Resources

  • All Nursing Schools - This site is a valuable resource for anyone interested in a nursing career. It provides information on nursing programs at the undergraduate level and on continuing education for nurses.

  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing - The AACN is an organization that represents undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and maintains educational standards for these programs. Students can learn about nursing schools across the US as well as the nursing profession in general.

  • American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine - The AACOM provides details about osteopathic medical schools, how osteopathic doctors differ from other doctors, and career paths for osteopathic doctors

  • Associaton of American Medical Colleges - The AAMC is a non-profit organization founded to reform medical education. Read about medical schools, the MCAT, how to apply to medical school, various medical careers, and financing a medical education.

  • Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions - The ASAHP is an informative site that features specifics about a variety of health-related careers.

  • CollegeView - Explore your educational options using CollegeView's powerful search engine, which allows you to search for schools using criteria such as areas of study, location and school size.

  • Connect for Kids - College prep information that is kid-friendly. Some scholarship/financial aid information is available.

  • Discover Nursing - Great website with wonderful nurse career information. Free nurse promotional materials - brochures, posters, pins, coloring books (in English and Spanish). Good information on nurse scholarships, nursing schools with slots available, and the variety of nurse specialty careers.

  • Electronic Campus - A good site for researching the right school for you; many courses are available on-line, although the site has been tailored to support colleges and universities in the southern United States.

  • Employment and Wage Data - National and by state, includes health professions.

  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center - The Seattle-based biomedical research institution hosts educational programs for high school students and for educators. Their summer internship program accomodates six to eight students each year, depending on funds.

  • Health Care Careers & Jobs - This site provides insights on the healthcare job market and lists the fastest growing jobs in this market.

  • Health Careers Job Descriptions - WWAHEC has compiled over 50 job descriptions, from Acupuncturist to Vision Care, including links to schools in Washington State.

  • JobStar Central - JobStar.org is a valuable resource for information on health, medicine, and nursing salaries and job projections.

  • Kaplan - Kaplan is a national testing center that provides test preparation materials for everything from the ACT and SAT to the MCAT and GRE. The site offers tips on how to prepare for these tests, as well as various articles about the tests themselves.

  • Medical Mysteries - Interactive video game for youth, complete with teachers' guide. From the Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning, Rice University.

  • National Consortium for Health Science & Technology Education - Great website for the national health skill standards and national activities. Go to “Educational Links” for health science curriculum utilized in other states. Also great health career information under the “Allied Health Profession of the Month.”

  • National Institutes of Health Office of Science Education - NIH curriculum supplements, free to K-12 science teachers and school administrators. Includes Lifeworks Career Database, “Women Are Scientists” video and poster series, and “Careers in Science: Women in Research.”

  • National Student Nurses' Association - Scholarship resources as well as applications for members. This organization is organized by student nurses who advocate for student and patient rights and collaborate on national and regional nursing issues. The site provides valuable information on the types of nursing careers available and explains the process of becoming a nurse.

  • Northwest Association for Biomedical Research - The NWABR has developed a number of science outreach programs, including curriculum on science ethics for K-12. In addition to week-long summer workshops for secondary science teachers, NWABR offers lesson plans that tie in with content issues in all science disciplines and align with the state's EALRs.

  • Nursing: It’s More than a Job - male nursing marketing and recruitment video released by Clover Park Technical College.

  • Occupational Outlook Handbook: Health - Many health-related careers are described; from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  • Oral Health Careers - Describes dental specialties, types of practice and allied dental-health professions.

  • Oral Health Education Resources - Comprehensive listing for dentistry and dental allied health professions.

  • Outbreak at Watersedge - The University of Minnesota's Midwest Center for Life-Long-Learning in Public Health has developed a computer game that's designed to introduce high school students to the field of public health. A teacher’s guide and resources list are available, and the game is also available in a CD format.

  • Pfizer - Pfizer’s Research and Development page has science education information on the brain (in English and Spanish) and the human genome.

  • SAT Vocabulary Preparation - Over 3,000 multiple choice questions to help high school students prepare for the vocabulary section of the new SAT exam. Also free access to a database browser to review and print the questions and correct answers.

  • Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) - BioQuest science education program.

  • Snapshots of Science and Medicine - Health-related information and articles for K-12 students, their teachers, parents, and anybody interested in medicine and health; from the Office of Science and Education and the National Institutes of Health.

  • Technological Horizons in Education - Good on-line journal on distance education.

  • University of Minnesota - Outbreak at Watersedge - UMN’s School of Public Health has developed a computer game that’s designed to introduce high school students to the field of public health. A teacher’s guide and resources list are available, and the game is also available in a CD format.

  • Washington Health Opportunities for Today and Tomorrow (WAHOTT) - Health Opportunities for Today and Tomorrow is an interactive site full of information about healthcare careers. Hosted by Yakima Valley Community College’s Allied Health Center of  Excellence.

  • Washington Center for Nursing - Licensing and career information specific to Washington State.

  • Washington Healthcare Careers - Search for schools by city or by degree program; search for jobs by city or job category.

  • Workforce College - Offers unique services for Washington’s community and technical colleges and employers, including searches for schools by degree program.

  • Workforce Explorer Washington - Labor market information, job searches, and labor force statistics.

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Student, Resident and Preceptor Resources

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Rural and Urban Underserved Resources

  • Critical Access Hospital Program - Guidelines from Washington State DOH’s Office of Community and Rural Health.

  • Federal Office of Rural Health - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration home page.

  • National Health Service Corps - Helps medically underserved communities recruit and retain primary care clinicians, including dental and mental and behavioral health professionals, to serve in their community.

  • National Rural Health Association - A member-driven national organization whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and populations through appropriate and equitable health care services as well as to assist its members in providing leadership on rural issues through advocacy, communications, education and research.

  • Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board - This non-profit tribal advisory organization represents the tribes of Washington, Oregon and Idaho on health-related matters and provides health-related technical assistance.

  • Northwest Regional Primary Care Association - Provides tools and services that support community health centers as they deliver competent, compassionate health care to urban, rural and frontier communities throughout the Northwest.

  • Office of Community and Rural Health -Connects communities and resources to develop accessible and sustainable healthcare systems in Washington State. An office of the Washington State Department of Health.

  • http://www.raconline.org/index.html -an “information portal” to help rural communities and other rural stakeholders access the full range of available programs, funding, and research that can enable them to provide quality health and human services to rural residents.

  • Rural Health Clinic -Guidelines from OCRH on Rural Health Clinics.

  • Rural Health Clinic Association of Washington -Promotes collaboration and education in order to maintain access to healthcare in rural areas and provide a voice for Rural Health Clinics.

Rural Health Clinics in Washington State: A Report on the Role of Rural Health Clinics in 2002This report covers three surveys of the Rural Health Clinics in Washington State and the RHCs’ role in the health care of Medicaid, Medicare and uninsured populations as part of the rural health care stafety net. The report is a collaborative effort between WWAHEC, Eastern Washington AHEC, the Office of Community and Rural Health, the Washington State Department of Health, and East-West Consulting. You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.

Volunteers Expanding Access to Health Care: A Resource ToolboxThe handbook, now available on-line as a pdf, was designed to support managers of clinics in identifying, recruiting and maintaining a cadre of volunteers. All seven chapters are located on our Volunteer/Retired Providers Program page. Download the Toolbox Now!(You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

Washington State Malpractice Protection ComparisonThe Volunteer/Retired Providers Program, the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Good Samaritan Law provide three avenues of support for volunteer/free clinic malpractice protection. This chart compares all three programs. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

  • WWAMI Rural Health Research Center -One of six rural research centers funded by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) to perform policy-oriented research on issues related to rural health care.

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Continuing Education Resources

CE listings and CE license requirement information; helpful info about on-line programs can also be found under Distance Learning, below.

DOH Dental Quality Assurance Commission -FAQ for Continuing Dental Education requirements. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

WWAHEC CE Calendar -Calendar of CE courses compiled and published on-line monthly by Western Washington AHEC. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

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Distance Learning

  • Web Page! -WWAHEC provides direct links to distance learning programs.

  • American Dental Hygienists Association -on-line continuing education from ADHA, $15 for members and $30 for non-members.

  • CME-CE.com -E-learning resource.

  • CME Zone -User-friendly medical and pharmacy CME/CPE/CE on-line activities.

  • Dental Resource Net -Crest provides free on-line CE courses, many formatted for PDA.

  • Distance Learning Glossary -A useful glossary of terms and phrases from the CDC’s Public Health Training Network.

  • Electronic Campus -A good site for researching the right program for you; many courses are available on-line, although the site has been tailored to support colleges and universities in the southern United States.

  • Global SchoolNet Foundation -Home of the Global Schoolhouse, a virtual meeting place where educators, students, parents and community members can collaborate, interact, develop, publish and discover learning resources. GSN partners with schools, communities and businesses to provide collaborative educational, scientific and cultural learning activities that prepare students for the workforce and help them to become literate and responsible global citizens. Free membership program, great resources for teachers and students.

  • HealthStream -on-line courses, CD-ROMs, live events.

  • PsychCME -free CE-certified activities developed by Duke University Medical School Department of Psychiatry. Activities are offered in a variety of delivery methods, and each psychCME activity offers credit for up to six healthcare disciplines.

  • United States Distance Learning Link Program -Showcases distance learning institutions offering degrees and continuing education.

  • University of Washington School of Nursing Continuing Nursing Education -UWCNE home page. UW also offers over 30 independent study courses for completion at home or work.

  • The Virtual Lecture Hall -Offers 33 different CME programs. Membership required.

  • World Lecture Hall -From the University of Texas at Austin, World Lecture Hall will search registered on-line and video-taped classes in many health-related fields.

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Employment and Job Search Resources

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Health Care Personnel Shortage Resources

Health Skill Panels and State organizations. Funding for many Skill Panels ended in 2005, leaving many of them without official staff. Where possible we have provided a link to the Panel website and the area Workforce Development Council.

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Practitioner Resources and Tools

Approved VRP Sites Current list of sites that have been approved for the Volunteer/Retired Providers Program. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

  • HealthLinks -Brings the library services of the University of Washington to your computer. “Toolkits” are available for care providers, grant seekers, instructors, students and social workers, and for the fields of bioresearch and public health.

  • Northwest Center for Public Health Practice -Links public health academic and practice communities in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of public health practice.

  • Protecting Confidentiality in Healthcare Education Programs -Addresses protected patient information regulations (known as HIPPA) and the impact on student education.

  • RxhelpforWA.org -connects qualified, low-income people with discount prescription drugs, direct from the pharmaceutical manufacturer. RxHelpforWA offers a single point of access to public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Other resources include “Benefits Check Up” and an "Eldercare Locator."

RCW 43.70.460 - Legislation authorizing the Volunteer/Retired Providers Program. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

Volunteers Expanding Access to Health Care: A Resource Toolbox - The handbook, now available on-line as a pdf, was designed to support managers of clinics in identifying, recruiting and maintaining a cadre of volunteers. All seven chapters are located on our Volunteer/Retired Providers Program page. Download the Toolbox now!(You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

VRP Site Application Form

Washington State Malpractice Protection ComparisonThe Volunteer/Retired Providers Program, the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Good Samaritan Law provide three avenues of support for volunteer/free clinic malpractice protection. This chart compares all three programs. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this document.)

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State, Federal and AHEC Resources

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Page updated 05/04/2010