The oscar g. Johnson va medical center celebrates va’s health professions education week march 13-17 | va iron mountain health care | veterans affairs

VA Health Professions Education Week is held annually during the third week of March and signifies the tremendous value of VA’s education mission for Veterans, academic institutions, health

professions trainees (HPT) and its importance for the nation’s largest health care system. Since 1946, VA’s academic mission and partnerships have been successfully creating a dynamic health

care workforce of students, physician residents and faculty who provide world-class care to Veterans. More than 30 HPTs will utilize the Oscar G. Johnson VAMC in 2023.  Students are not

only utilized at the main facility in Iron Mountain, but also at Community-Based Outpatient Clinics throughout the catchment area.  The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center partners with

accredited universities and colleges with placement of HPTs from across the Midwest and elsewhere in the United States in the areas of pharmacy, family practice, audiology, physical therapy,

nursing, health information management service (HIMS), psychology and phlebotomy.  “Trainee satisfaction surveys of HPTs leaving Oscar G. Johnson (VAMC) shows 100 percent of the HPTs were

satisfied with their VA working environment and 88 percent of our trainees would consider VA for future employment,” said Oscar G. Johnson VAMC Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant Chief of

Staff for Education Allison Harbour, MD.  “All of the trainees surveyed said they were treated with respect at work.  Placement is key to exposing students to the VA and also learning of

rural environment health care.” VA operates America’s most extensive health care training system in which nearly 70 percent of all U.S. physicians complete training at VA, providing care to

Veterans in multiple specialties.  VA provides training in more than 60 health care disciplines through partnerships with over 1,400 academic institutions including 99 percent of America’s

medical schools. Nearly 50,000 physician residents and almost 30,000 medical students train in VA each year, providing direct care to Veterans.  These HPTs improve access to quality care for

more than nine million Veterans.