What is it about?
A unique Veterans Health Administration (VHA) training program has been offering research experience, professional development, and mentoring in preparing for graduate school to undergraduates for nearly a decade. As one of the only VHA undergraduate training programs, the VA Center of Excellence Research Program (VA-CERP) seeks to launch motivated undergraduates into future healthcare careers. It combines a tiered mentoring model, hands-on experience, didactic curriculum, and preparation of a professional product (e.g., poster presentation, literature review). Nearly 70% of the students completing the program have gone on to graduate or medical schooling, with many reporting that “the experiences and opportunities provided in this program [have] really set [them] up for success in [their] careers and educational goals.” One student reported “I definitely would not be where I am today in my goals if it wasn’t for this program!!” Students identified mentoring and hands-on research experience as some of the most important domains in their training. Notably, the elements of this program appear to be of particular impact for students from underrepresented backgrounds including first-generation college students. Taken together, our findings suggest that investing in programs like this could better prepare the next generation of healthcare providers and promote diversity in our field.
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Why is it important?
The VHA is one of the largest employers of healthcare providers in the nation, however, many trainees are not exposed to the VHA or the unique needs of Veterans until the later stages of their academic training or until they are about to join the workforce. By starting at these earlier stages of academic development, we have the ability to promote awareness of Veterans’ needs and the importance of the integrated care model, during critical periods of learning. Therefore, trainees receive early preparation on Veteran and military culture, through hands-on research experience and a mentoring structure that sets them up as competitive applicants ready to launch into careers in healthcare. Beyond the inherent value that this program has had in our trainees, one of the most valuable aspects of this work is that this program can serve as a framework to strategically develop national initiatives through the VHA that offer early training promoting values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and create career opportunities for undergraduates from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. In this way, the VHA can play a pivotal role in levelling the access to advanced careers in healthcare, by empowering trainees from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue healthcare careers and ultimately increasing diversity in our field by preparing professionals delivering unrivaled care to our veterans and nation.
Perspectives
The work presented in this paper is so meaningful and exciting to me on both a personal and professional level. Personally, mentoring was crucial in my own trajectory. At every step of my path, I have certainly had moments where impostor syndrome has kicked in and I doubted my own potential and capacity. At each of those moments, I have been blessed with the support and guidance of a mentor, which has inspired me to pay it forward. Therefore, professionally, I’m passionate about how programs like this can build bridges to connect talented individuals waiting for an opportunity to launch them on a path of success by offering access to the right training, spending time to talk about career options, or simply reminding them of the great potential they already possess. I have been working closely with students in this program for the past eight years. Witnessing their successes and hearing anecdotes of the big and small things that helped in their paths, has been one of the most professionally rewarding aspects of my career. This paper represents an opportunity to take a step back after all these years and quantify the impact of this work. I’m really excited about the possibility of this program helping bring forth more opportunities like this through the VHA, which is already a leader in healthcare education.
Laura Zambrano-Vazquez
VHA VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Starting early: Case study of mentoring for undergraduate training through the Veterans Health Administration and implications for promoting equity., Psychological Services, January 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/ser0000821.
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