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VA » Health Care » Women Veterans Health Care » VA Clinicians

Women Veterans Health Care

VA Clinicians

Women are the fastest growing group in the Veteran population. Understanding women's military experiences is vital to understanding their health. VA is committed to providing VA clinicians with up-to-date resources and training to better serve women Veterans.

How To Use This Site

While the target audience of the VA Women's Health website is women Veterans, the site offers many great resources for VA clinicians:

An overview of health services for women, which includes information on a variety of resources and services VA provides to women Veterans
Information on services organized by topic and how women Veterans can access those services
Important information on eligibility, enrollment, and how to apply

VA Training for VA Clinicians

VA Women's Health offers a variety of trainings for VA clinicians to help you coordinate and provide women Veterans the highest quality of care. Training takes place either virtually through courses on the Talent Management System (TMS), or through in-person courses, including the unique "Women's Health Mini-Residency" training.

VA Women's Health offers three delivery types of Mini-Residency programs:

National: Training takes place over 3 days and covers core topics in women's health care in both the primary care and acute care settings. Training includes simulation training with live patient models and simulation equipment for breast and pelvic examinations as well as small group case-based discussions.
Local: Training takes place at a VA facility or a Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) using the national mini-residency curriculum.
Rural: Training takes place directly at rural clinic sites. Traveling teams go to rural sites to lead small group case-based discussions, hands-on learning with simulation equipment, interactive activities, and a live patient model.

Training courses cover a variety of topics including but not limited to:

Breast Health
Chronic Pain
Contraception
Health Equity
LGBTQ+ Health
Musculoskeletal conditions and pain (MSK)
Military sexual trauma (MST)
Trauma Informed Care

You can find courses like these and many more by logging into your VA TMS. For those with access, these courses are also available on the Women's Health Intranet SharePoint site.

VHA TRAIN Caring for Women Veterans in the Community

One of the best ways to learn more about how to care for women Veterans is by taking the Caring for Women Veterans in the Community training on VHA TRAIN, a learning network that houses a comprehensive catalog of public health training opportunities. This training addresses unique concerns such as military sexual trauma, musculoskeletal pain, and post-deployment readjustment and how they can differently impact women Veterans compared to non-Veteran women. If you have additional questions or need assistance, please contact the help desk at VHATRAIN@va.gov.

Community Care clinicians who take this course will learn to:

Recognize how the evolving role, increasing number, and diversity of women in military service impact their changing medical care needs
List the key components of a military history while understanding how a woman Veteran's service might affect her current or future health
Recognize the gender-specific, clinical manifestations of common Veteran health issues, including pain syndromes and mental health concerns
Use patient-centered, trauma-informed care for pelvic exams for women Veterans whose experiences with military sexual trauma, PTSD, or IPV may make them sensitive to gender-specific exams

A Safe and Comfortable Environment for all Veterans

VA is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment for all Veterans. VA clinicians and staff must work together to ensure that all Veterans perceive VA as a safe and comfortable place to receive health care services. Veterans can report mistreatment or harassment at VA by calling, texting, or chatting online with the Women Veterans Call Center. Veterans can also report harassment to the VA Police and the facility patient advocate who will ensure the report is relayed to facility leadership.

Additional Resources for VA Clinicians

Download the Military Health History Pocket Card to help guide important questions
Visit the Overview of Health Services for Women page to see the full suite of services VA provides women Veterans
See the Facts and Statistics page for more information about women Veterans
Read publications and reports about women Veterans.
Visit the VA App Store for apps created specifically for Veterans and their health care professionals
View videos that cover a variety of topics related to women Veterans
Share information about the Women Veterans Call Center with women Veterans
Find information regarding eligibility and enrollment for women Veterans
Watch a short video on VA's mission to serve women Veterans

Women Veterans Health Care Videos

Watch videos for and about Women Veterans.

Women Veterans Health Care Outreach Posters

View our Outreach Posters.

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