IMPROVED ACCESS TO CARE


A focus on establishing training programs in rural areas will improve the health care workforce pipeline for VA and the nation.


VA’s Rural Interprofessional Faculty Development Initiative (RIFDI), a two-year program to develop clinical educators’ skills in rural areas and low resource sites, is a collaborative project between OAA and theOffice of Rural Health (ORH). RIFDI brings together clinical educators and resources from across VA’s 170 medical centers and its 1,800 academic affiliates to expand health professions education in underserved areas. This ensures every Veteran receives the highest quality of care. Two cohorts with 80 clinical educators from 34 VAMCs actively participate in RIFDI.


The Veterans Access Choice and Accountability Act (VACAA) of 2014 established 1,500 new Graduate Medical Education positions with priorities in mental health and primary care. VACAA alleviates physician shortages in rural and underserved areas. By the end of 2020, OAA filled 1,424 of 1,500 available positions: 39% in primary care, 25% in mental health and 36% in critically needed additional specialties.


“VA’s faculty development program is especially important in rural and remote sites where it can be difficult to retain and attract faculty members. By keeping these important members of the VA health care team engaged in their work and excited about teaching, we improve the quality of education and continue to provide care to Veterans in these settings.”


— David Topor, PhD, MS-HPEd Associate Director, Healthcare Professional Education VA Boston Healthcare System


75TH


ANNIVERSARY / 2021


9


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