Impact and History
Impact
VA’s teaching mission has wide ranging impacts within and beyond the VA. These include expanding the clinical workforce of VA and enhanced Veteran access to care, providing excellent quality care through highly trained and university-affiliated health care professionals, and establishing a clinical trainee pipeline to recruit the best and brightest health care professionals to VA. In addition, VA academic partnerships have pioneered the development of new health care disciplines—such as geriatrics, spinal cord injury medicine, and addiction psychiatry—and helped define the role of new treatments and practice patterns such as pain management, interprofessional education and team-based care.
Approximately 120,000 health professions trainees receive clinical training at VA each year. VA’s physician education program is conducted in collaboration with 151 of 157 LCME-accredited medical schools and 35 of 37 Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA)-accredited osteopathic medical schools. In addition, more than 60 other health professions are represented by affiliations with over 1,500 unique colleges and universities. In our efforts to reflect the diverse Veteran population, these schools include Minority Serving Institutions such as Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
History
On July 28, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) by Executive Order 6230, Veterans Regulation No. 2(a). The Board was delegated the authority to render the final decisions on appeal for the Administrator (now Secretary) and was directly responsible to the Administrator (Secretary). The Board was charged “to provide every possible assistance” to claimants and to take final action that would “be fair to the Veteran as well as the Government.” The Board continues to meet this charge.
“To educate for VA and the Nation” remains one of VA’s foundational missions. For 78 years, VA has worked with academic institutions to provide high quality, state-of-the-art health care to America’s Veterans and to train new health professionals to meet the rapidly evolving health care needs within VA and the nation.
Learn more about OAA’s academic mission and its accomplishments in the 75th Anniversary annual report.
What’s Next?
The VA, with its affiliates, has historically been a leader in developing new disciplines to meet the changing needs of the population. Today, the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) maintains more than 7,000 agreements with over 1,500 institutions, ensuring that training programs are available in every U.S. state and territory. Through these partnerships, OAA has built and diversified the Nation’s talent pipeline in over 60 health professions, including psychology, nursing, and social work. Unique partnerships ensure health professionals gain invaluable knowledge and experiences that help them better serve the special needs of Veterans and the nation.
Building on strong academic partnerships and a commitment to improving care, the future is bright for the educational mission of the VA.
Explore Passion to Learn. Power to Heal. to read more about OAA’s mission, history, and impact.
Timeline
After World War II
The academic mission was essential to VA’s ability to treat the number of injured and ill Veterans returning home
After World War II
VA issues landmark policy establishing partnerships with medical schools
VA sets goals of providing comprehensive care for more than 100,000 Veterans returning from World War II
1947
1,600 medical residents and 1,800 senior cadet nurses enter the VA’s teaching programs, beginning VA’s efforts to build a health care talent pipeline
1948
68 schools were placing residents in VA hospitals
1950s
VA plays a key role in the development and acceleration of the clinical discipline of Psychology
1960s
Federal government spurs medical research by funding more than half of medical schools’ budgets, most of which supports biomedical and behavioral research
90 medical schools affiliated with VA medical centers
Post-Vietnam, VA begins push for physician assistants to be recognized as profession to ensure Veterans receive appropriate, interdisciplinary care
1970s
VA hospitals and clinics provide training to more than 56,000 trainees
More than 70 VA hospitals are located within 5 miles of a medical school
Anticipating 25% of Veterans will be 65 or older by 1990, VA plays an integral role in the development of Geriatric Medicine as a specialty
First two of three VA researchers win Nobel prize; work includes peptide hormone and radioimmunoassay
1980s
50% of physicians practicing in the U.S. receive a portion of their education in the VA medical centers
1,120 colleges and universities affiliated with VA
1990s
Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) evolves from VA’s Office of Academic Affairs
Third VA researcher wins Nobel prize for work on nitric oxide
2000s
VA leads development of Palliative Care and Traumatic Brain Injury specialties to address needs of a new generation of Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
2010s
OAA expands Graduate Medical Education by implementing Veteran Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA) and the MISSION Act of 2018, and supports rural health by standing up Rural Interprofessional Faculty Development Initiative (RIFDI)
VA is the largest U.S. provider of telehealth, which improves Veterans’ access to care
2020s
VA provides training for more than 118,000 persons; 70% of the Nations physicians receive a portion of their education in the VA
More than 1,800 institutions affiliated with VA medical centers
Training and innovation continue in 2021 and beyond