Alaska’s SHARP Program
SHARP Council – Member Statement
University of AK, College of Health
Healthcare Workforce Overall
Healthcare Workforce Overall
Healthcare Workforce Overall
Organization
Representative
Membership
Email Address
Occupation Categories
Practice Setting Types
Experience Thus Far
Occupations To-Date
Practitioner Contracts #:
Practice Sites: Examples
Regions Thus Far
Testimony
SHARP’s Success To-Date
Need for SHARP-3
SHARP provides an incentive for UA graduates to practice in rural and
underserved settings throughout the state. The majority of students are studying in
urban settings. Their clinical experience does not always provide them exposure to
rural and underserved populations. In turn, they do not consider the possibility of
rural practice. The SHARP program serves as a tool to direct UA graduates to a
multitude of opportunities to practice in some of the most unique healthcare
settings in the nation. Without the SHARP program, these students may very well
turn to similar programs in other states or resist exploring opportunities in rural
Alaska.
Most students enrolling in the UA system rely on financial and and student loans in
order to attend the classes they need to earn healthcare degrees. Oftentimes, this
results in students graduating with burdensome debt and no real plan for paying it
off. The SHARP program is discussed with students as they embark on their
higher education journey. The SHARP program is needed in order to keep our
graduates in state working with our most underserved populations. Living and
working in rural Alaska is not easy. The recruitment and retention difficulties are
staggering. Without SHARP, these facilities will lose the key tool they have to
recruit UA graduates from the urban centers.
