VA trainees find growth and opportunity in rural care

As the nation's largest provider of health professions education, VA trains more than 122,000 health care trainees annually in partnership with over 1,450 academic institutions. That includes placements in rural facilities like Iron Mountain VA in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where trainees gain hands-on experience serving Veterans with unique health care needs.

Quality training, lasting careers

At Iron Mountain VA, trainees consistently report strong satisfaction-100% rated their training positively, compared to VA's national average of 91%. Many of today's instructors began as trainees themselves. "All of my current instructors have started as externs here," explained audiology intern Abigail Ramsaroop. "What that tells me is that the care we give here is so good that, after training is done, they want to stay."

Programs emphasize adaptability-whether through telehealth that reduces travel for Veterans or flexible scheduling to improve access. "Having access to telehealth is very nice, with some Veterans having to travel up to four or five hours," Ramsaroop added. "It's kind of a way of life just so that we can make care accessible to as many Veterans as possible."

Preparing the future workforce

For leaders at Iron Mountain, the success of the program lies in its culture of mentorship and mission. "We tend to cast a wide net and encourage good candidates to take a leap of faith and move great distances or experience a new lifestyle when they join us here," said Dr. Todd Burner, associate chief of staff for Education. "The good news is, oftentimes when one does take that leap of faith, they find that they made the right decision."

By investing in health professions training, VA ensures Veterans nationwide receive care from professionals who are both highly skilled and deeply committed. As Ramsaroop put it, "My preceptors are all wonderful. They know how to teach a student very well and help me to develop as a competent clinician."