Veterans Affairs Graduate Medical Education Expansion Addresses U.S. Physician Workforce Needs
Bibliographic Data
The United States has a well-trained, highly specialized physician workforce yet continues to have care gaps across the nation. Deficiencies in primary care and mental health specialties are most frequently cited, though critical shortages in multiple disciplines exist, particularly in rural areas. Sponsoring institutions of physician graduate medical education (GME) have created rural residency tracks with modest federal funding and minimal incentives, though efforts targeting shortages in these specialties and geographic locations have been limited. In response to access problems in the Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the second largest federal funder of GME with the most expansive clinical education platform, Congress passed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014. This act directed the VA and provided funding to establish 1,500 new positions, a 15% expansion of VA-funded positions at the time. Priority for position selection was given to primary care, mental health, and any other specialties the secretary of VA determined appropriate. Importantly, priority was also given to VA facilities with documented physician shortages, those that did not have GME training programs, those in communities with high concentrations of veterans, and those in health profession shortage areas. Many rural facilities match this profile and were targeted for this initiative. At the conclusion of fiscal year 2021, 1,490 positions had been authorized, and 21 of the 22 VA medical centers previously without GME activity had added residents or were planning to soon. Of the authorized positions, 42% are in primary care, 24% in mental health, and 34% in critically needed additional specialties. Targeted GME expansion in the VA, the largest integrated health care system in the nation, has been successful in addressing physician GME training that aligns with physician shortages and may serve as a model to address national physician specialty and geographic workforce needs
Economic shortage · Graduate medical education · Health care · Mental health · Physician assistants · Physician supply · Staffing · Veterans Affairs · Workforce · Diversity and Career in Medicine · Global Health Workforce Issues · Primary Care and Health Outcomes
The VA Rural Interprofessional Faculty Development Initiative
Health Resources and Services Administration and Veterans Affairs Funding Intersections Expand Graduate Medical Education Training Opportunities in Rural and Underserved Areas
Valuing the Partnership Between the Veterans Health Administration and Academic Medicine
Lessons Learned From State-Based Efforts to Leverage Medicaid Funds for Graduate Medical Education
Impact of Medical Training Programs on Time-to-Fill Physician Vacancies at the Veterans Health Administration
| Citations per year | 1.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |