Mission of the Office of Academic Affiliations
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: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) conducts education and training programs to enhance the quality of care provided to Veterans within the VA health care system. Building on the long-standing, close relationships among VA and the Nation’s academic institutions, VA plays a leadership role in defining the education of future health care professionals that helps meet the changing needs of the Nation’s health care delivery system. Title 38 U.S.C. mandates that VA assist in the training of health professionals for its own needs and those of the Nation. Through its partnerships with affiliated academic institutions, VA conducts the largest education and training effort for health professionals in the Nation. In 2018, 120,890 trainees received some or all of their clinical training in VA. VA conducts the largest education and training effort for health professionals in the United States. VA's physician education program is conducted in collaboration with 144 of 152 LCME-accredited medical schools and 34 out of 34 DO granting schools (AOA-accredited medical schools). In addition, more than forty other health professions are represented by affiliations with over 1,800 unique colleges and universities. Among these institutions are Minority Serving Institutions such as Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Download Official OAA Statistics
Teaching Mission: VA's teaching mission contributes to high quality health care of veterans in the following ways:
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. |