Research Training Opportunities in the VA

Educational Innovation

Research and education are two of VA’s four missions. Each year over 100,000 health professions trainees, including nurses, receive part of their education in VA. These trainees have a major role in the delivery of the “best care anywhere” to Veterans.

• 85% of trainees rate VA training as equivalent or better than non-VA training
• 90% of trainees would recommend VA training to others

VA is a leader in the development of entirely new medical specialties, including geriatrics, substance abuse, and spinal cord injury. VA is also widely acknowledged for its initiatives in quality improvement, patient safety, medical informatics, and team-based care. VA-based training also addresses the special needs of Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. As American health care evolves, VA will continue to provide health professions education to meet the health care needs of Veterans, benefiting all Americans. Numerous opportunities are available in the VA for advanced training for nurses in both research and clinical areas.¹

 Office of Academic Affiliations Brochure 

Research Opportunities from the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA)

Pre-Doctoral Nurse Fellowship Program
The Pre-Doctoral Nurse Fellowship Program provides opportunities for registered nurses, who are doctoral candidates, to conduct their dissertation studies at VA facilities for dissertation topics that are relevant to the care of Veterans.

Post-Doctoral Nurse Fellowship Program
The Post-Doctoral Nurse Fellowship Program provides nurses, who have earned research doctoral degrees, the opportunity to broaden their scientific or research background, and extend their potential for clinical research in nursing.

VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D)
This fellowship provides two years of post-residency or post-PhD research, education, and clinical learning opportunities to eligible clinicians, including nurses. Graduates are expected to be role models in leading, developing, conducting, and evaluating innovative health services research in a variety of clinical settings.

VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Interprofessional Polytrauma and Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation
This program meets needs of our military personnel who are returning home from service with traumatic brain injuries, complex orthopedic injuries, and physical and psychological wounds accompanied by cognitive deficits from a "signature" blast injury. The fellowship provides protected time, mentorship, and a clinical research environment for qualified candidates.

Research Opportunities from the VA's Office of Research & Development

Career Development Award
VA's Career Development Program (CDA) provides mentoring for junior researchers so they can learn from renowned, experienced VA researchers. Awardees from this program have become national and international leaders in their research fields. Four levels of the CDA program offer opportunities.

Nursing Research Initiative
The NRI facilitates the development of nurse investigators to conduct independent research focused on high priority, VA mission-oriented areas of investigation. The NRI solicits proposals from VA nurse investigators who are in the early stages of their research careers for a mentored research project. All Office of Research and Development (ORD) Services (Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development, Clinical Science Research and Development, Rehabilitation Research and Development, and Health Services Research and Development) will accept nurse investigator-initiated proposals as part of the NRI.

Other Opportunities with Research Components from the Office of Academic Affiliations  

VA Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics
This fellowship offers post-specialty education to foster the development of leadership in health care issues of older adults. The program capitalizes on the international prominence of VA's Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Centers (GRECCs) to provide training opportunities in clinical practice, to contribute to the improvement of clinical practice, and to advance scholarly pursuits that will benefit care for older Veterans and all older Americans.

VA Interprofessional Fellowship Program in Patient Safety
The Office of Academic Affiliations and the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS), in the Department of Veterans Affairs, offers a one year fellowship in patient safety at competitively selected VA sites. The purpose of the Interprofessional Fellowship Program in Patient Safety is to provide post-residency physicians and post masters or doctoral post degree associated health professionals in-depth education in patient safety practice and leadership.

VA Advanced Fellowship in Health Systems Engineering
This program meets the growing needs of VHA to implement Operational Systems Engineering (OSE) tools and techniques to further understand the complexities and dynamics of health care systems and subsystems. This two-year research track, offered in collaboration with VA Health Services Research and Development Service, emphasizes the great need for further research in the field and provides protected time, mentorship, financial support, and a clinical research environment for qualified candidates.

VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics
This fellowship provides two years of postdoctoral research and educational learning opportunities to nurses and others at competitively selected VA sites. Fellows spend their time in research and educational activities relevant to VA. Mentors of national stature provide guidance to fellows in rich learning environments. Graduates are expected to be role models in leading, developing, conducting, and evaluating innovative medical informatics programs.

VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program, in Collaboration with TDI, Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
This fellowship offers scholars opportunities to be leaders in the following: (a) Applying knowledge and methods of health care improvement to the care of Veterans; (b) Innovation and continual improvement in health care; (c) Teaching health professionals about health care improvement; and (d) Performing innovative research to develop new knowledge for the ongoing improvement of the quality and value of health care services.

¹ Hobbs J, Shively M, Bormann J, Johnson L, Alt-White AC, Fairman J. (2008). The Department of Veterans Affairs pre- and post-doctoral nurse fellowships: diverse opportunities for research. Nurs Outlook. Mar-Apr;56(2):84-9.