Improving health care for veterans has become a matter of national attention and has gained increasing attention from the medical community. With the current surge of veterans reintegrating into civilian society it is critical to improve the training of the next cadre of providers who will provide care for our veterans. It is widely known that veterans receive care in all aspects of the health system, thus providers in veteran focused care facilities, military health serves and civilian locals must be aware of the unique needs of veterans. It is perhaps even more important to educate civilian providers who may be unfamiliar with the unique physical, mental and emotional needs related to military service.
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Course Audience
- all health professions learners, example:
- medical students, resident physicians, dental students,
- nursing students, advanced practice nurses,
- social work, pharmacy student as graduate level learners
- as well as any and all health professionals interested in veteran-centered care
What You Will Learn:
This course will provide learners the opportunity to engage with material to facilitate their understanding of the origins of Academic Medical Centers and Veterans Administration affiliations, recognize and manage the influence of bias, class, and power on the clinical encounter and self-reflect on their biases that particularly affect U.S. military veterans. This course also features several video clips from the acclaimed documentary, Where Soldiers Come From, directed by Heather Courtney.
The views expressed in this course are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. government.
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Unit 1 highlights the relationship between Academic Medical Centers and Veterans Health Administration and provides an overview of knowledge of the military and basic demographic of U.S. veterans.
WEEK 2
Unit 2 provides clear instruction on conceptual differences between determinants of health and health disparities and health care disparities; illustrate individual-based and system-based sources of health disparities for veterans.
WEEK 3
Unit 3 outlines the fundamental principles of patient-centeredness and cultural competence in health care, provide tools to develop self-awareness of individual assumptions, stereotypes and biases that influence the medical encounter and deliver activities that help learners acknowledge the importance of patients’ values, culture, and beliefs in improving health care.
WEEK 4
Unit 4 illustrates the role of empathy in health care delivery, using key experiences, concerns and perspectives of U.S. military veterans as a clinical context. This unit also describes the relationship between medical history taking and health care delivery as well as develops knowledge in areas related to military and veteran centered care.
WEEK 5
Unit 5 allows learners to use everything they have learned and apply those principles to improving assessment and triage skills for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and identifying anxiety and depression.
WEEK 6
Unit 6 highlights the importance of partnership and collaboration across professional disciplines to enhance veteran centered to achieve optimal health.
WEEK 7
Unit 7 highlights the importance of partnership and collaboration across professional disciplines to enhance veteran centered care.
