STFM to Deliver Faculty Development at VA Sites
August 14, 2019—STFM has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Academic Affiliations to deliver a structured faculty development program at 23 VA facilities serving rural veterans. “This is a good opportunity for STFM and its members to make a long-lasting impact on the health care needs of rural and underserved communities,” said STFM President Freddy Chen, MD.
The training will include an online, asynchronous Veterans Administration Faculty Fundamentals Certificate Program, access to TeachingPhysician.org, and 23 in-person workshops.
The Certificate Program will encompass some of the core courses in STFM’s Residency Faculty Fundamentals Certificate Program, along with custom, curated content to meet the needs of the interprofessional teams at the VA locations.
The full-day in-person workshops will be modeled after STFM’s Faculty Development Delivered program. Subject matter experts will lead interactive sessions about creating high-quality, interprofessional clinical learning environments. Development of the curriculum is being led by Jeff Haney, MD, Clinical Education Director, Family Medicine, at the Elson S Floyd College of Medicine.
"This work is directly aligned with STFM's strategic priorities around professional development, and the organization's and our members' reputation for providing faculty with the skills needed to train students, residents, and health care teams," said Chen.
The STFM-led faculty development is part of a broader 2-year VA initiative to enhance professional development and provide teaching and training skills for educators of clinical professions in rural settings. It aligns with their educational mission to train clinicians for the VA and the nation, enabling high quality innovative learning environments, providing excellent care to Veterans, and developing, recruiting, and retaining well-trained professional staff.
