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Secretary Nicholson: VA Increasing Support for Medical Education

February 2, 2007

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which already helps train nearly half of the physicians in the United States, will increase its support for medical education in the 2007-2008 academic year, adding 2,000 positions for advanced residency training over the next five years.

“VA’s long history of support for medical education is a vital element in ensuring our veterans receive world-class health care,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “Our close relationship with the nation’s medical schools gives veterans access to the latest research and the top practitioners in the nation.”

More than 31,000 medical residents and 16,000 medical students receive some of their training in VA each year. The expansion in medical education begins in July 2007 when VA adds 341 new positions.

“VA will maintain and enhance its role in national graduate medical education,” said Dr. Michael J. Kussman, VA’s Acting Under Secretary for Health. “Adding these resident positions will enhance patient care, reduce waiting times, and make care more accessible by increasing the number of physicians in our facilities.”

Through its affiliations with medical schools and universities, VA is the largest provider of health care training in the United States. Currently, 130 VA medical facilities are affiliated with 107 of the nation's 126 medical schools.

These training positions will address VA’s critical needs and provide skilled health care professionals for the entire nation. The additional resident positions will also encourage innovation in education that will improve patient care, enable physicians in different disciplines to work together and will incorporate state-of-the-art models of clinical care, including VA’s renowned quality and patient safety programs and electronic medical record system.

As the nation’s largest integrated health care system, VA provided care last year to 5.3 million veterans at more than 1,400 sites of care, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, rehabilitation treatment programs and veterans readjustment counseling centers.

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Larry Scott

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