,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #befi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bf1 #bjai,ms4 ,baldwin 7for herself and ,mr4 ,tillis7 introduced the following bill2 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 school4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans-,specific ,education for ,tomorrow's ,health ,professionals ,act or the ,vet ,,hp ,act4 #b4 ,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 #c7;a7 should be designed to-- 7#a7 increase the awareness1 knowledge1 and empathy of future health professionals toward the health conditions common to veterans2 7#b7 increase the diversity of the recruitment pool of future physicians of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs2 and 7#c7 expand clinical observation opportunities for all students by encouraging students of all backgrounds to consider a career in the health professions4 #c4 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs pilot program for clinical observation by undergraduate students 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out a pilot program for a one-year period1 beginning not later than ,august #ae1 #bjba1 to provide certain students described in subsection 7d7 a clinical observation experience at medical centers of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4 7b7 ,medical center selection 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out the pilot program under subsection 7a7 at not fewer than five medical centers of the ,department4 7#b7 ,regional diversity ,in selecting medical centers under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall ensure regional diversity among such selected medical centers4 7c7 ,clinical observation sessions 7#a7 ,frequency and ,duration ,in carrying out the pilot program under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 provide at least one and not more than three clinical observation sessions at each medical center selected during each calendar year2 7,b7 ensure that each clinical observation session-- 7i7 lasts between four and six months2 and 7ii7 to the extent practicable1 begins and ends concurrently with one or more academic terms of an institution of higher education2 and 7,c7 ensure that the clinical observation sessions provided at a medical center have minimal overlap4 7#b7 ,sessions ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the pilot program consists of clinical observation sessions as follows3 7,a7 ,each session shall allow for not fewer than five students nor greater than #ae students to participate in the session4 7,b7 ,each session shall consist of not fewer than #bj observational hours nor greater than #dj observational hours4 7,c7 ,a majority of the observational hours shall be spent observing a health professional4 ,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,d7 ,each session shall provide a diverse clinical observation experience4 7d7 ,students 7#a7 ,selection ,the ,secretary shall select to participate in the pilot program under subsection 7a7 students who are-- 7,a7 nationals of the ,united ,states 7as defined in section #aja of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja772 7,b7 enrolled in an accredited program of study at an institution of higher education2 and 7,c7 referred by their institution of higher education following an internal application process4 7#b7 ,priority ,in selecting participants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall give priority to each of the following five categories of students3 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;e774 7,b7 ,first generation college students 7as defined in section #djb;,a7h7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a-#aa7;h774 7,c7 ,students who have been referred by minority-serving institutions4 7,d7 ,veterans 7as defined in section #aja of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code74 7,e7 ,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 #gdab of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as having a staffing shortage4 7#c7 ,assignment to medical centers ,the ,secretary shall assign students selected under paragraph 7#a7 to medical centers selected under subsection 7b7 without regard for whether such medical centers have staffing shortages in any health professional occupation as determined pursuant to section #gdab of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7e7 ,other matters ,in carrying out the pilot program under subsection 7a71 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 patients while participating as an observer2 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 develop and implement a partnership strategy with minority-serving institutions to encourage referrals2 7#d7 create standardized procedures for student observers2 7#e7 create an online information page about the pilot program on an internet website of the ,department2 7#f7 publish on the online information page created under paragraph 7#e7 the locations of such medical centers and other information on the pilot program not later than #ahj days before the date on which applications are required to be submitted by potential student observers2 7#g7 identify medical centers and specific health professionals participating in the pilot program2 and 7#h7 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 7c7 within #cj days of selection to facilitate program awareness4 7f7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days after the completion of the pilot program under subsection 7a71 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 program1 including-- 7#a7 the number and demographics of-- 7,a7 all applicants to the pilot program2 7,b7 those accepted to participate in the pilot program2 and 7,c7 those who completed the pilot program2 and 7#b7 if participating institutions of higher education choose to administer satisfaction surveys that assess the experience of those who completed the pilot program1 the results of any such satisfaction surveys1 provided at the discretion of the institution of higher education4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given that term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74 7#b7 ,minority-serving institution ,the term minority-serving institution means an institution described in section #cga7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajfgq7a774 #d4 ,no additional funds authorized ,no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the requirements of this ,act4 ,such requirements shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated4