Continuous learning is essential to medical professionals' ability to provide top-notch patient care. We understand that and encourage VA employees to pursue higher education by offering one of the most comprehensive education support programs in the Nation. Explore the following links and VA's Office of Academic Affiliations Web site for a comprehensive look at the educational opportunities VA affords its employees and trainees.

General Programs
Nursing-specific Programs
Student-specific Programs
Leadership Education
Employee Education System

General Programs

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP): Recently appointed health care professionals in hard-to-fill occupations may be eligible for an award of up to $49,585 over five years. EDRP money may be used to repay loans acquired while pursuing the degree that led to qualification for the appointed position.
• Employee Incentive Scholarship Program (EISP): EISP is a scholarship awarded to full- and part-time VA employees who are currently enrolled in or accepted to an accredited education program. The scholarship covers tuition costs and related expenses.
• VA National Education for Employees Program (VANEEP): This program offers salary replacement money to VA employees who are enrolled full-time in an approved education program. VANEEP participants agree to work at their VA facility during academic breaks and, in return, receive full salary and payment for education costs, including tuition, books, and certain fees.

Nursing Programs

• National Nursing Education Initiative (NNEI): NNEI is a scholarship awarded to permanent full- and part-time VA nurses seeking BSN degrees from an authorized, accredited education program. VA requires nurses to have BSN degrees to advance beyond the Nurse Level 1 position. NNEI money may also be used to pursue other advanced degrees in nursing or related fields.

Student Programs

• VA Learning Opportunities Residency (VALOR): This program allows nursing and pharmacy students who have completed their junior year in an accredited clinical program to gain experience at a VA facility.
• Student Educational Employment Program (SEEP): This program offers Federal employment opportunities to students who are pursuing academic degrees at the high school level and beyond. SEEP consists of two distinct components:
  • Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP): Offering temporary employment to students, STEP opportunities range from summer positions to jobs that can last throughout the student's course of study.
  • Student Career Experience Program (SCEP): This is a formal work-study program for students in accredited high schools, colleges, and universities. To be eligible, the student must be pursuing a degree directly related to the position to which he or she is applying. When the student's education requirements are complete, he or she may be eligible for full-time VA employment. View or download VA's SCEP Brochure to learn more about this program (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required; download it for free).

Leadership Education
VA offers its supervisors ongoing internal training opportunities, such as Leadership VA (LVA), the Executive Career Field Development Program, and the High Performance Development Model. VA leaders can also pursue external education opportunities through EISP.

Employee Education System
The Employee Education System (EES) is the VA health system's education and training organization. VA employees come to us for quality educational offerings that will improve their work performance and provide them with crucial continuing education. Our programs keep pace with the profound changes affecting work in the care of our Nation's veterans.

To better serve our customers and clients and support the National Strategic Focus Areas established by VA, we have strategically established eight Employee Education Resource Centers (EERCs) across the country. These centers allow us to adapt best practices and leverage our resources and expertise to provide the best accessibility and affordability. These resource centers ensure communication is maximized, work is focused, cycle time is reduced, and products are delivered when and where they are needed.

As a VA employee, you have access to exceptional education and training resources. EES provides you numerous educational opportunities to improve your current skills and help you gain new ones. Whether you need a refresher course on using Microsoft® Excel or you're looking for a brand new set of supervisory skills, EES provides VA staff with the most up-to-date, quality training. You can learn at your convenience since most of our offerings are available 24/7 from any computer with Internet access. We understand that people prefer to receive their education and training in many different modalities. At VA, you can access programs in a variety of ways, including video, Live Meeting, print, Web/computer based, live desktop video, and more. Plus, you'll use the VA Learning Management System to direct and oversee all of your continuing education quests.

Looking for accredited courses and programs? We have those, too. EES works with more than 12 accrediting bodies to ensure that VA staff are receiving quality, worthwhile training.

• Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
• Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
• American Dental Association (ADA)
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
• California Board of Registered Nursing (CA BRN)
• Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
• California Board of Behavioral Sciences (CA BBS)

A career at VA allows you to enhance the skills you already have, develop new ones, and enhance your overall education. EES enables you to chart your own course for the future. For more information, contact your VA employment representative.