Veterans-Specific Education for Tomorrow’s Medical Doctors Act

Summary: Veterans-Specific Education for Tomorrow's Medical Doctors Act or the VET MD Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a three-year pilot program at a minimum of five VA medical centers to provide undergraduate students a clinical observation experience. The VA shall ensure that such program:  increases the awareness, knowledge, and empathy of future medical professionals toward the medical conditions common to veterans; increases the diversity of the recruitment pool of future VA physicians; provides a diverse clinical observation experience commensurate with the standard expectations for medical school applications; and expands clinical observation opportunities for all students by encouraging students of all backgrounds to consider a career in medicine.   The VA shall select undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens enrolled in an accredited science or medical program of study to participate in the program, with priority to students who resided in a health professional shortage area and who are the first in their immediate family to attend an undergraduate institution.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans-Specific Education for 
Tomorrow's Health Professionals Act'' or the ``Vet HP Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              PILOT PROGRAM FOR CLINICAL OBSERVATION BY UNDERGRADUATE 
              STUDENTS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the pilot program described in 
section 3(a) should be designed to--
            (1) increase the awareness, knowledge, and empathy of 
        future health professionals toward the health conditions common 
        to veterans;
            (2) increase the diversity of the recruitment pool of 
        future physicians of the Department; and
            (3) expand clinical observation opportunities for all 
        students by encouraging students of all backgrounds to consider 
        a career in the health professions.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PROGRAM FOR CLINICAL 
              OBSERVATION BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry 
out a pilot program for a one-year period, beginning not later than 
August 15, 2021, to provide certain students described in subsection 
(d) a clinical observation experience at medical centers of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (b) Medical Center Selection.--The Secretary shall carry out the 
pilot program under this section at not fewer than five medical centers 
of the Department. In selecting such medical centers, the Secretary 
shall ensure regional diversity among such selected medical centers.
    (c) Clinical Observation Sessions.--
            (1) Frequency and duration.--In carrying out the pilot 
        program, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) provide at least one and not more than three 
                clinical observation sessions at each medical center 
                selected during each calendar year;
                    (B) ensure that each clinical observation session--
                            (i) lasts between four and six months; and
                            (ii) to the extent practicable, begins and 
                        ends concurrently with one or more academic 
                        terms of an institution of higher education (as 
                        defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 
                        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); and
                    (C) ensure that the clinical observation sessions 
                provided at a medical center have minimal overlap.
            (2) Sessions.--The Secretary shall ensure that the pilot 
        program consists of clinical observation sessions as follows:
                    (A) Each session shall allow for not fewer than 
                five students nor greater than 15 students to 
                participate in the session.
                    (B) Each session shall consist of not fewer than 20 
                observational hours nor greater than 40 observational 
                hours.
                    (C) A majority of the observational hours shall be 
                spent observing a health professional. The other 
                observational hours shall be spent in a manner that 
                ensures a robust, well rounded experience that exposes 
                the students to a variety of aspects of medical care 
                and health care administration.
                    (D) Each session shall provide a diverse clinical 
                observation experience.
    (d) Students.--
            (1) Selection.--The Secretary shall select to participate 
        in the pilot program under subsection (a) students who are--
                    (A) nationals of the United States;
                    (B) enrolled in an accredited program of study at 
                an institution of higher education; and
                    (C) referred by their institution of higher 
                education following an internal application process.
            (2) Priority.--In making such selection, the Secretary 
        shall give priority to each of the following five categories of 
        students:
                    (A) Students who, at the time of the completion of 
                their secondary education, resided in a health 
                professional shortage area (as defined in section 332 
                of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e)).
                    (B) First generation college students (as defined 
                in section 402A(h)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 
                1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))).
                    (C) Students who have been referred by minority-
                serving institutions (as defined in section 371(a) of 
                the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))).
                    (D) Veterans (as defined in section 101 of title 
                38, United States Code).
                    (E) Students who indicate an intention to 
                specialize in a health professional occupation 
                identified by the Inspector General of the Department 
                under section 7412 of title 38, United States Code, as 
                having a staffing shortage.
            (3) Assignment to medical centers.--The Secretary shall 
        assign students selected under paragraph (1) to medical centers 
        selected under subsection (b) without regard for whether such 
        medical centers have staffing shortages in any health 
        professional occupation pursuant to section 7412 of title 38, 
        United States Code.
    (e) Other Matters.--In carrying out the pilot program under this 
section, the Secretary shall--
            (1) establish a formal status to facilitate the access to 
        medical centers of the Department by student observers 
        participating in the pilot program;
            (2) establish standardized legal, privacy, and ethical 
        requirements for the student observers, including with respect 
        to--
                    (A) ensuring that no student observer provides any 
                care to patients while participating as an observer; 
                and
                    (B) ensuring the suitability of a student to 
                participate in the pilot program to ensure that the 
                student poses no risk to patients;
            (3) develop and implement a partnership strategy with 
        minority-serving institutions to encourage referrals;
            (4) create standardized procedures for student observers;
            (5) create an online information page about the pilot 
        program on the internet website of the Department;
            (6) publish on the online information page created under 
        paragraph (5) the locations of such centers, and other 
        information on the pilot program, not later than 180 days 
        before the date on which applications are required to be 
        submitted by potential student observers;
            (7) identify medical centers and specific health 
        professionals participating in the pilot program; and
            (8) notify the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House 
        of Representatives and the Senate of the medical centers 
        selected under subsection (c) within 30 days of selection, to 
        facilitate program awareness.
    (f) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the completion of the 
pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate a report on the results of the pilot program, including--
            (1) the number and demographics of all applicants, those 
        accepted to participate in the pilot program, and those who 
        completed the pilot program; and
            (2) if participating institutions of higher education 
        choose to administer satisfaction surveys that assess the 
        experience of those who completed the pilot program, the 
        results of any such satisfaction surveys, provided at the 
        discretion of the institution of higher education.

SEC. 4. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

    No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out 
using amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 24, 2018.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.