In 1993, the NC AHEC Rural Primary Care Initiative received funding from the NC General Assembly to support rural primary care, community-based education. As a result, an Office of Regional Primary Care Education (ORPCE) was created at each of the nine AHEC's (Area Health Education Center) to facilitate the teaching of medical students in community settings.
In 1995, additional funds were allocated from the General Assembly to include nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and physician assistants. The ORPCE mission expanded once again in 1997 with state funding to support Pharm D students from UNC-CH School of Pharmacy.
Since it's creation in 1993, ORPCE has seen a huge increase in community-based student months across the state. The number of community-based preceptors has increased significantly as well. In 2022, the NC AHEC began to use the name Student Services instead of ORPCE to better describe the work we do.
Our Student Services Team members are looking for NEW preceptors from various disciplines/specialties in the following South Piedmont AHEC counties: Anson, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Stanly, and Union Counties. Learn More
The Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Education Department of the South Piedmont AHEC is committed to serving the educational needs of pharmacy practitioners and students throughout our eight county region.