Explore Experiences
Go beyond the classroom to experience health care in our community. Meet health care professionals, explore how care is delivered and see how rural teams work together to serve their communities.
Choose one of four signature AHEC Community Health Immersion opportunities to explore communities, connect with healthcare professionals, and gain firsthand insight into the opportunities and challenges shaping healthcare in rural Wisconsin.
ER: Emergency Reality in Rural Wisconsin
February 7 & 21 and March 7 & 14, 2027 6-8:30 p.m. live online
April 3, 2027 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in-person in Menominee
Emergency medicine makes for great television drama, but what’s the reality here in rural Wisconsin? Explore themes like interdisciplinary team communication, provider mental health, and systems thinking through simulations, television case studies and conversations with interdisciplinary teams working the trenches of emergency care. Culminate the experience by acting as patients in a mass casualty incident exercise at a rural critical access hospital.
VetsCare: Veteran Health and Wellness
May 18-20, 2027 • Eau Claire area
Witness first-hand the physical, mental and social challenges veterans face in rural areas. Visit locations including a VA clinic, VA hospital, veterans home long-term care facility, rehabilitation facilities and mental health clinics to learn about support systems and resources designed to improve veterans’ health and well-being and access to healthcare.
By interacting with veterans and healthcare providers, you will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of veteran care and be equipped with the knowledge, tools and resources to provide compassionate, culturally competent care to veterans in your future career.
Plain Community Health Culture
May 18-20, 2027 • Marshfield area
Experience Amish and Mennonite culture and rural health care. Explore how respect for culture can interact with health care and learn about the balance between cost of medical care and reduction of risk. Sites visited include public health department, fee-for-service, midwifery and family practice clinics, dental practices, and an Amish home and farm.
Life’s Transitions: Birth, Death and Community Health in the Chippewa Valley
May 18-20, 2027 • Eau Claire area
Explore how access to care, culture, and community resources shape experiences of birth and death in northwestern Wisconsin. Engage with healthcare providers, doulas, hospice professionals, and cultural leaders to examine current gaps and innovations in care, and to better understand how teams are working to improve outcomes and support individuals across the lifespan.
Hands-On Experience
January–May 2027 • In-person
Build a meaningful relationship with a student who has been where you are and can share their experiences and support your journey. Through one-on-one or small-group conversations, you’ll gain insight into healthcare education, career pathways, professional challenges and the next steps toward your goals.
AHEC Rising Rural Health Leaders is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a subaward of $1,000,000 as part of a financial assistance award made to the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services totaling $203,670,005.21 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.