Priority Competencies for Designated Education Officers in the Veterans Health Administration.

INTRODUCTION: Designated Education Officers (DEOs) at Veteran Health Administration (VHA) hospitals are senior educational leaders tasked with oversight of all clinical training at a particular facility. They prioritize dozens of tasks and responsibilities each day, from educational policy and strategy to staff management, financial planning, onboarding of trainees, and facility planning and management. Clarifying priority competencies for the role can help executives recruit, appoint, and evaluate capable personnel and promote effective, efficient performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a federally developed method of competency analysis, researchers consulted a panel of subject-matter experts to identify priority competencies for DEOs, using data from a 2013 study that operationalizes competencies for more than 200 federal jobs. RESULTS: The research identified 25 primary competencies within 6 leadership domains. Five of the primary competencies cut across all leadership domains. CONCLUSIONS: Veteran Health Administration subject-matter experts in educational leadership say the identified competencies are urgently needed, critical for effective leadership, and valuable for distinguishing superior DEO performance. The competencies are relevant to VHA and perhaps other senior academic leaders who develop health professions education programs, oversee clinical training, and manage educational change. In military training facilities, attending to these competencies can help Designated Institutional Officials responsible for graduate medical education become more credible partners to other hospital leaders and contribute to becoming a high reliability organization. Executives identifying, recruiting, and appointing VHA DEOs and Designated Institutional Officials at military training facilities should consider these competencies when assessing candidates.

A First Look at the VA MISSION Act Veteran Health Administration Medical School Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs.

Background: The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is challenged by physician staffing shortages. The 2018 VA MISSION ACT authorized 2 scholarship and loan repayment programs. The Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) created scholarships for physicians and dentists. The Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) increased the maximum debt reduction. The Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program (SELRP) authorized the repayment of educational loans for physicians in specialties deemed necessary for VA. The Veterans Healing Veterans (VHV) program was a 1-year pilot program specifically for veteran medical students. Observations: For academic years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, HPSP offered 54 scholarships with 51 accepted. In 2020, the VHV program offered 22 scholarships with 12 accepted by recipients at all 5 Teague-Cranston medical schools and 4 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. For SELRP, 14 applicants have been approved in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, and geriatrics. The average loan repayment is anticipated to be $110,000, which equates to 38.5 VA service years for the 14 applicants. Since 2018, 1546 physicians received EDRP awards with amounts increased from an average of $96,090 in 2018 to $148,302 in 2020. Conclusions: The VA MISSION Act's scholarship and loan repayment programs provide VA with several ways to address physician workforce shortages. Ultimately, the success of the program will be determined by the recruitment of scholarship recipients to VA careers.