,i #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bghg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #f1 #bjag,ms4 ,kaptur 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,jones1 and ,mr4 ,ryan of ,ohio7 introduced the following bill2 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 school4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans-,specific ,education for ,tomorrow's ,medical ,doctors ,act or the ,,vet ,,md ,act4 #b4 ,pilot program for clinical observation by pre-med students 7a7 ,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 ,affairs4 7b7 ,duration ,the ,secretary shall carry out the pilot program under subsection 7a7 for a three-year period beginning not later than ,august #ae1 #bjbj4 7c7 ,goals ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the pilot program under subsection 7a7 meets the following goals3 7#a7 ,increases the awareness1 knowledge1 and empathy of future medical professionals toward the medical conditions common to veterans4 7#b7 ,increases the diversity of the recruitment pool of future physicians of the ,department4 7#c7 ,provides a diverse clinical observation experience commensurate with the standard expectations for medical school applications4 7#d7 ,expands clinical observation opportunities for all students by encouraging students of all backgrounds to consider a career in medicine4 7d7 ,medical center selection ,the ,secretary shall select not fewer than five medical centers of the ,department to carry out the pilot program under subsection 7a74 ,in selecting such medical centers1 the ,secretary shall ensure regional diversity among such selected medical centers4 7e7 ,clinical observation sessions 7#a7 ,sessions ,the ,secretary shall ensure that each medical center of the ,department selected under subsection 7d7 provides clinical observation sessions as follows3 7,a7 ,each session shall allow for1 to the extent practicable1 not fewer than #bj students to participate in the session1 which shall consist of not fewer than #fj observational hours4 7,b7 ,each center shall carry out three sessions per calendar year1 from four to six months in duration with minimal overlap4 7,c7 ,a majority of the observational hours shall be spent observing a practicing physician4 ,the other observational hours shall be spent in a manner that ensures a robust1 well rounded experience that exposes the students to a variety of aspects of medical care and health care administration4 7#b7 ,consideration of areas with staffing shortages ,in carrying out paragraph 7#a77;,c71 the ,secretary may consider providing clinical observation sessions with physicians employed in occupations with large staffing shortages1 such as occupations relating to women's health and psychiatric care and occupations identified under section #gdab of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7f7 ,students 7#a7 ,selection ,the ,secretary shall select to participate in the pilot program under subsection 7a7 undergraduate students who are-- 7,a7 citizens of the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 enrolled in an accredited science or medical program of study4 7#b7 ,priority ,in making such selection1 the ,secretary shall give priority to-- 7,a7 students who1 at the time of the completion of their secondary education1 resided in a health professional shortage area 7as defined in section #ccb of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bed;e772 and 7,b7 students who are the first in their immediate family to attend an undergraduate institution4 7g7 ,other matters ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 establish a formal status to facilitate the access to medical centers of the ,department by student observers participating in the pilot program2 7#b7 establish standardized legal1 privacy1 and ethical requirements for the student observers1 including with respect to-- 7,a7 ensuring that no student observer provides any care to patients2 and 7,b7 ensuring the suitability of a student to participate in the pilot program to ensure that the student poses no risk to patients2 7#c7 create a standardized application1 assessment1 selection and processing requirements1 and procedures for student observers2 7#d7 create an online information page and application portal on the ,internet website of the ,department2 7#e7 identify participating medical centers and clinicians2 7#f7 notify the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate of the medical centers selected under subsection 7d7 in a timely manner to facilitate program awareness2 7#g7 publish the locations of such centers1 and other information on the pilot program1 not later than #ahj days before the date on which applications are required to be submitted by potential student observers2 and 7#h7 establish procedures to follow up with each student observer to ascertain if the student was accepted into medical school4 7h7 ,report ,not later than #fj days before the completion of the pilot program under subsection 7a71 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 program1 including-- 7#a7 the number and demographics of all applicants1 those accepted to participate in the pilot program1 and those who completed the pilot program2 and 7#b7 the results of a reflection survey designed by the ,secretary to assess the experience of the student observers4