VA Health Professions Education Programs
Summary
The VA is highlighting its Health Professions Education (HPE) Week, recognizing the significant role its education programs play in training healthcare professionals. Annually, over 124,000 trainees participate in these programs across 142 VA medical centers.
What changed
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing a notice to celebrate Health Professions Education (HPE) Week, emphasizing the scale and impact of its training programs. The notice highlights that over 124,000 health professions trainees, including students, residents, and fellows, train annually at 142 VA medical centers through partnerships with over 1,500 academic institutions. These trainees constitute about one-third of the VA's clinical workforce and are crucial for the nation's healthcare professional pipeline, with approximately 50% of all physicians having trained with the VA at some point.
This notice serves as an informational update and does not introduce new regulatory requirements or compliance deadlines for external entities. It is intended to inform stakeholders about the VA's commitment to education and workforce development within the healthcare sector. No specific actions are required from regulated entities, and there are no associated penalties mentioned.
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VA celebrates Health Professions Education (HPE) Week 2026
Each year, VA celebrates Health Professions Education Week, when the department recognizes trainees, academic partners and education staff for the role they play in creating the next generation of health care professionals to serve Veterans and the nation.
Every day, more than 124,000 health professions trainees —including nursing and medical students, residents and fellows—train at 142 VA medical centers through partnerships with more than 1,500 academic institutions. These trainees also make up about one-third of VA’s clinical workforce and contribute significantly to the pathway of health care professionals for the nation as well.
Impacts VA and the nation
That impact is essential to the American health care system, as approximately 50% of all physicians have trained with VA at some point in their career. For VA, an estimated 69% of podiatrists, 75% of psychologists, 85% of optometrists and 65% of physicians trained at VA before joining a VA workforce—demonstrating the program’s critical role in sustaining Veteran care.
“This week we celebrate those involved in training the next generation of health care professionals as they care for Veterans,” said Dr. John Byrne, acting chief Academic Affiliations officer for the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). “From nursing students to residents, to our academic partners, to the health professions education faculty and staff, we could not train the nation’s next generation without this passionate and dedicated team of professionals. We thank them for their tireless efforts throughout the year and their significant impact on the nation’s Veterans and health care.”
For 80 years, VA has grown and improved these partnerships and programs through state-of-the-art technology, cutting-edge research and evidence-based care, making VA the largest provider of health professions education in the country.
VA’s commitment to innovative training and academic collaboration ensures the continued excellence and sustainability of Veteran care. By celebrating this week, we honor the essential contributions of VA’s education faculty, academic partners and trainees, and reaffirm our dedication to advancing health care education for the benefit of Veterans now and in the future.
Topics in this story
Health Professions Education Health Professions Trainees Office of Academic Affiliations
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