Detailed Instructions: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Veterans-Specific Education for
Tomorrow's Medical Doctors Act'' or the ''VET MD Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR CLINICAL OBSERVATION BY PRE-MED STUDENTS.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry
out a pilot program to provide undergraduate students a clinical
observation experience at medical centers of the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(b) Duration.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program
under subsection (a) for a three-year period beginning not later than
August 15, 2019.
(c) Goals.--The Secretary shall ensure that the pilot program under
subsection (a) meets the following goals:
(1) Increases the awareness, knowledge, and empathy of
future medical professionals toward the medical conditions
common to veterans.
(2) Increases the diversity of the recruitment pool of
future physicians of the Department.
(3) Provides a diverse clinical observation experience
commensurate with the standard expectations for medical school
applications.
(4) Expands clinical observation opportunities for all
students by encouraging students of all backgrounds to consider
a career in medicine.
(d) Medical Center Selection.--The Secretary shall select not fewer
than five medical centers of the Department to carry out the pilot
program under subsection (a). In selecting such medical centers, the
Secretary shall ensure regional diversity among such selected medical
centers.
(e) Clinical Observation Sessions.--
(1) Sessions.--The Secretary shall ensure that each medical
center of the Department selected under subsection (d) provides
clinical observation sessions as follows:
(A) Each session shall allow for, to the extent
practicable, not fewer than 20 students to participate
in the session, which shall consist of not fewer than
60 observational hours.
(B) Each center shall carry out three sessions per
calendar year, from four to six months in duration with
minimal overlap.
(C) A majority of the observational hours shall be
spent observing a practicing physician. 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.
(2) Consideration of areas with staffing shortages.--In
carrying out paragraph (1)(C), the Secretary may consider
providing clinical observation sessions with physicians
employed in occupations with large staffing shortages, such as
occupations relating to women's health and psychiatric care and
occupations identified under section 7412 of title 38, United
States Code.
(f) Students.--
(1) Selection.--The Secretary shall select to participate
in the pilot program under subsection (a) undergraduate
students who are--
(A) citizens of the United States; and
(B) enrolled in an accredited science or medical
program of study.
(2) Priority.--In making such selection, the Secretary
shall give priority to--
(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)); and
(B) students who are the first in their immediate
family to attend an undergraduate institution.
(g) Other Matters.--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; 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) create a standardized application, assessment,
selection and processing requirements, and procedures for
student observers;
(4) create an online information page and application
portal on the Internet website of the Department;
(5) identify participating medical centers and clinicians;
(6) notify the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House
of Representatives and the Senate of the medical centers
selected under subsection (d) in a timely manner to facilitate
program awareness;
(7) publish 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; and
(8) establish procedures to follow up with each student
observer to ascertain if the student was accepted into medical
school.
(h) Report.--Not later than 60 days before 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) the results of a reflection survey designed by the
Secretary to assess the experience of the student observers.
A:
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 at least 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.