Title: Vet HP Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans-Specific Education for Tomorrow's Health Professionals Act or the VET HP Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a pilot program, located at a minimum of five VA medical centers, to provide a clinical observation experience to students who are enrolled at an institution of higher education that has referred them to the program.
The VA shall give priority to students who (1) resided in a health professional shortage area, (2) are first-generation college students, (3) have been referred by minority-serving institutions, (4) are veterans, or (5) indicate an intention to specialize in an occupation with a health professional shortage.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2569 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2569

  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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 26, 2019

Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and 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.

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

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 under 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 of Veterans Affairs; 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.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
        program under subsection (a) at not fewer than five medical 
        centers of the Department.
            (2) Regional diversity.--In selecting medical centers under 
        paragraph (1), 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 under subsection (a), 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; 
                        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 (as defined in 
                section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
                U.S.C. 1101));
                    (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 selecting participants under paragraph 
        (1), 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) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
                (20 U.S.C. 1070a-11(h)).
                    (C) Students who have been referred by minority-
                serving institutions.
                    (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 
                of Veterans Affairs 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 as determined pursuant to section 7412 
        of title 38, United States Code.
    (e) Other Matters.--In carrying out the pilot program under 
subsection (a), 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 an internet website of the Department;
            (6) publish on the online information page created under 
        paragraph (5) the locations of such medical 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 Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate 
        and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives 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 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the 
results of the pilot program, including--
            (1) the number and demographics of--
                    (A) all applicants to the pilot program;
                    (B) those accepted to participate in the pilot 
                program; and
                    (C) 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.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (2) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
        serving institution'' means an institution described in section 
        371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1067q(a)).

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.
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