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Our Mission
  Mission:
As one of four statutory missions, the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) conducts an education and training program for health professions students
and residents to enhance the quality of care provided to veteran patients within
the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) healthcare system. In accordance with this
mission, “To educate for VA and for the Nation”, education and training
efforts are accomplished through coordinated programs and activities in partnership
with affiliated U.S. academic institutions.
Program History: Title 38 U.S.C. mandates that VA assist in the
training of health professionals for its own needs and those of the nation. For
almost sixty years, in accordance with VA’s 1946
Policy Memorandum No. 2. VA has worked
in partnership with this country’s medical and associated health professions
schools to provide high quality health care to America’s veterans and to train
new health professionals to meet the patient care needs within VA and the nation.
This partnership has grown into the most comprehensive academic health system partnership
in history.
Scope: In 2006, over 100,000 medical and associated health students,
residents and fellows received some or all of their clinical training in VA facilities
through affiliations with over 1,200 educational institutions including 107 medical
schools. Many of these trainees have their health professions degrees and contribute
substantially to VA’s ability to deliver cost effective and high quality patient
care during their advanced VA clinical training. As the nation’s health care
system evolves, VA continues to be on the leading edge with innovative education
and training programs that benefit all Americans.
Teaching Mission: VA’s teaching mission contributes to high
quality health care of veterans in the following ways:
- By creating a climate of clinical inquiry between trainees and teachers.
- By enhancing quality of care through the application of medical advances.
- Through the provision of excellent clinical care by supervised trainees.
- Through the recruitment of highly qualified health care professionals into the VA
healthcare system.
Goals of the Program: VA’s teaching mission and its clinical
learning environment contribute to excellent patient care for veterans and enhance
VA’s ability to attract and retain high quality professional staff. VA collaborates
closely with academic and professional communities to educate the next generation
of health care professions and to identify and develop new specialized areas of
clinical training. VA is a highly recognized and valuable national resource in the
health care community at large and is valued as a preferred training site for future
health professionals.
Education of Physicians: VA’s
medical & dental education is conducted through affiliations with
University Schools of Medicine. Currently 130 VHA medical facilities are affiliated
with 107 of the nation's 126 medical schools. Through these partnerships, almost
33,600 medical residents and 18,700 medical students received some of their training
at VA facilities in 2006. Accounting for approximately 9 percent of U.S.
graduate medical education, VA supports
8,800 physician resident positions in almost 2,000 residency programs accredited
in the name of our university partners. VA physician faculty have joint appointments
at the university and at VA, seeing patients at VA, supervising students and residents,
and conducting research. It would be difficult for VA to deliver its high quality
patient care without the physician staff and residents that are available through
these affiliations.
Education of Associated Health Professionals: VA has also been
a leader in the training of associated health professionals.
Through affiliations with individual health professions schools and colleges, clinical
traineeships and fellowships are provided to students in more than 40 professions,
including nurses, pharmacists, dentists, audiologists, dietitians, social workers,
psychologists, physical therapists, optometrists, podiatrists, physician assistants,
respiratory therapists, and nurse practitioners. Over 48,500 associated health students
received training in VA facilities in 2006, and provide a valuable recruitment
source for new employees.
Successes: VA has led in development of new health care disciplines
or modalities of treatment of high relevance to the treatment of veterans. A number
of these, such as geriatrics, spinal cord injury medicine and addiction psychiatry,
have become nationally recognized specialties within physician education. VA led
the way in recognition of pain management as a vital health care concern; was an
early leader in development of concepts of a team of professionals delivering health
care; and has played a major role in defining the relevant definition of primary
care as the context of care rather than the discipline of the provider.
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