Undergraduate Program

AHEC South Arkansas - El Dorado

AHEC South Arkansas, established in 1974, is based in El Dorado, in the south central portion of the state, 15 miles north of Louisiana. It serves seven contiguous Arkansas counties: Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Dallas, Ouachita, and Union. Three north central Louisiana parishes relate economically, culturally and medically to the South Arkansas area.

Undergraduate and postgraduate programs currently being offered include: three-year family practice residency, senior medical student rotations, senior nursing student independent study programs, sophomore medical student rural preceptorships, pharmacy student rotations, and continuing education programs for practicing health professionals. Approximately 55 clinical faculty members augment the full-time faculty as teachers of specific courses and as monitors of clinical rotations.

AHEC South Arkansas is affiliated with the Medical Center of South Arkansas, a 166 bed facility.  The 16,616 square foot ambulatory care clinic of the Family Practice residency is located on the third floor. The Health Sciences Library, teaching conference rooms, Interactive Video, and administrative offices are located on the first floor.  Services also include a Veteran's Community Based Outpatient Clinic and UAMS Faculty Clinic on the third floor. All three floors total 4,326 square feet.Also nearby are a comprehensive mental health facility, a general public health center, children and adult rehabilitation facilities and offices of about 70 private physicians.

About 200,000 people live in the immediate Arkansas-Louisiana region. The economy is diversified and expanding, featuring numerous types of manufacturing, petroleum production and refining, chemical synthesis, food processing, general agriculture and a wide range of financial and legal services.

The 1,888 seat El Dorado Municipal Auditorium provides faculties for large theatrical and musical productions. The South Arkansas Arts Center also acts as the base for the South Arkansas Symphony and for various visual arts and theatrical groups. A permanent art gallery is maintained in the Arts Center.

Higher education is provided by Southern Arkansas University at the main campus in Magnolia, and its technological institute in Camden. AHEC South Arkansas collaborates with these institutions on several health education programs.

The region provides excellent fishing, hunting and water sports opportunities. A 40,000 area lake on the Ouachita River, 30 miles southeast of El Dorado, provides public access, picnic grounds and camping areas. Bird sanctuaries, game preserves and smaller lakes are located in nearby areas. Public golf courses, swimming pools, tennis courts and private clubs augment the water and land recreational facilities of the area.

The AHEC is located at 460 West Oak in Warner Brown Tower. Family Medicine Clinic is on the 3rd floor; Administration, Health Sciences Library and Interactive Video are on the 1st floor.