I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6187 

To establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a pilot program instituting 

a clinical observation program for pre-med students preparing to attend 

medical school. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 

Ms. KAPTUR (for herself, Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. JONES, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, 

Mr. MCDERMOTT, and Mr. VEASEY) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a pilot 

program instituting a clinical observation program for 

pre-med students preparing to attend medical school. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans-Specific Edu5 cation for Tomorrow’s Medical Doctors Act’’ or the ‘‘VET 

6 MD Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR CLINICAL OBSERVATION BY 

2 PRE-MED STUDENTS. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans 

4 Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to provide under5 graduate students a clinical observation experience at 

6 medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

7 (b) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out the 

8 pilot program under subsection (a) for a three-year period 

9 beginning not later than August 15, 2019. 

10 (c) GOALS.—The Secretary shall ensure that the pilot 

11 program under subsection (a) meets the following goals: 

12 (1) Increases the awareness, knowledge, and 

13 empathy of future medical professionals toward the 

14 medical conditions common to veterans. 

15 (2) Increases the diversity of the recruitment 

16 pool of future physicians of the Department. 

17 (3) Provides a diverse clinical observation expe18 rience commensurate with the standard expectations 

19 for medical school applications. 

20 (4) Expands clinical observation opportunities 

21 for all students by encouraging students of all back22 grounds to consider a career in medicine. 

23 (d) MEDICAL CENTER SELECTION.—The Secretary 

24 shall select not fewer than five medical centers of the De25 partment to carry out the pilot program under subsection 

26 (a). In selecting such medical centers, the Secretary shall 


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1 ensure regional diversity among such selected medical cen2 ters. 

3 (e) CLINICAL OBSERVATION SESSIONS.— 

4 (1) SESSIONS.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

5 each medical center of the Department selected 

6 under subsection (d) provides clinical observation 

7 sessions as follows: 

8 (A) Each session shall allow for, to the ex9 tent practicable, not fewer than 20 students to 

10 participate in the session, which shall consist of 

11 not fewer than 60 observational hours. 

12 (B) Each center shall carry out three ses13 sions per calendar year, from four to six 

14 months in duration with minimal overlap. 

15 (C) A majority of the observational hours 

16 shall be spent observing a practicing physician. 

17 The other observational hours shall be spent in 

18 a manner that ensures a robust, well rounded 

19 experience that exposes the students to a vari20 ety of aspects of medical care and health care 

21 administration. 

22 (2) CONSIDERATION OF AREAS WITH STAFFING

23 SHORTAGES.—In carrying out paragraph (1)(C), the 

24 Secretary may consider providing clinical observation 

25 sessions with physicians employed in occupations 


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1 with large staffing shortages, such as occupations 

2 relating to women’s health and psychiatric care and 

3 occupations identified under section 7412 of title 38, 

4 United States Code. 

5 (f) STUDENTS.— 

6 (1) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select to 

7 participate in the pilot program under subsection (a) 

8 undergraduate students who are— 

9 (A) citizens of the United States; and 

10 (B) enrolled in an accredited science or 

11 medical program of study. 

12 (2) PRIORITY.—In making such selection, the 

13 Secretary shall give priority to— 

14 (A) students who, at the time of the com15 pletion of their secondary education, resided in 

16 a health professional shortage area (as defined 

17 in section 332 of the Public Health Service Act 

18 (42 U.S.C. 254e)); and 

19 (B) students who are the first in their im20 mediate family to attend an undergraduate in21 stitution. 

22 (g) OTHER MATTERS.—The Secretary shall— 

23 (1) establish a formal status to facilitate the ac24 cess to medical centers of the Department by stu25 dent observers participating in the pilot program; 


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1 (2) establish standardized legal, privacy, and 

2 ethical requirements for the student observers, in3 cluding with respect to— 

4 (A) ensuring that no student observer pro5 vides any care to patients; and 

6 (B) ensuring the suitability of a student to 

7 participate in the pilot program to ensure that 

8 the student poses no risk to patients; 

9 (3) create a standardized application, assess10 ment, selection and processing requirements, and 

11 procedures for student observers; 

12 (4) create an online information page and appli13 cation portal on the Internet website of the Depart14 ment; 

15 (5) identify participating medical centers and 

16 clinicians; 

17 (6) notify the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

18 of the House of Representatives and the Senate of 

19 the medical centers selected under subsection (d) in 

20 a timely manner to facilitate program awareness; 

21 (7) publish the locations of such centers, and 

22 other information on the pilot program, not later 

23 than 180 days before the date on which applications 

24 are required to be submitted by potential student ob25 servers; and 


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1 (8) establish procedures to follow up with each 

2 student observer to ascertain if the student was ac3 cepted into medical school. 

4 (h) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days before the com5 pletion of the pilot program under subsection (a), the Sec6 retary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

7 of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report 

8 on the results of the pilot program, including— 

9 (1) the number and demographics of all appli10 cants, those accepted to participate in the pilot pro11 gram, and those who completed the pilot program; 

12 and 

13 (2) the results of a reflection survey designed 

14 by the Secretary to assess the experience of the stu15 dent observers. 

Æ 


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