title: Veteran Affairs Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education: transforming nurse practitioner education.
abstract: To integrate health care professional learners into patient-centered primary care delivery models, the Department of Veterans Affairs has funded five Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education (CoEPCEs). The main goal of the CoEPCEs is to develop and test innovative structural and curricular models that foster transformation of health care training from profession-specific "silos" to interprofessional, team-based educational and care delivery models in patient-centered primary care settings. CoEPCE implementation emphasizes four core curricular domains: shared decision making, sustained relationships, interprofessional collaboration, and performance improvement. The structural models allow interprofessional learners to have longitudinal learning experiences and sustained and continuous relationships with patients, faculty mentors, and peer learners. This article presents an overview of the innovative curricular models developed at each site, focusing on nurse practitioner (NP) education. Insights on transforming NP education in the practice setting and its impact on traditional NP educational models are offered. Preliminary outcomes and sustainment examples are also provided.
authors.affiliation: VA Office of Academic Affiliations, Washington, DC. Electronic address: kathryn.rugen@va.gov.
authors.forename: Kathryn Wirtz
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Rugen
authors.affiliation: Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH.
authors.forename: Sharon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Janson
authors.affiliation: VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Angelo
authors.affiliation: Boise VA Medical Center, Boise, ID.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nash
authors.affiliation: VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Zapatka
authors.affiliation: VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT; Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brienza
authors.affiliation: VA Office of Academic Affiliations, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Stuart C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.affiliation: VA Office of Academic Affiliations, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Judith L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: JoAnne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Saxe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Interprofessional education; Nurse practitioner education; Primary care