Telehealth and virtual supervision practices for health professions education in the Department of Veterans Affairs

Background Telehealth and virtual supervision practices in health professions clinical education has grown rapidly, including in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) which oversees the largest interprofessional training effort in the United States. Telehealth is the provision of healthcare that is provided remotely through telecommunication technology, and virtual supervision is clinical supervision of health professions trainees (HPTs) that occurs through telecommunication technology. In this study we evaluate participation in telehealth and virtual supervision for physician, nursing, and associated health HPTs, and describe prevalent themes concerning HPT perceptions of telehealth and virtual supervision. Methods The survey study cohort included 10,865 HPTs that responded to the VA Trainee Satisfaction Survey in Academic Year 2023 (between July 2022 to June 2023). Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate participation rates by profession. Responses to the open-ended question within the survey were coded and summarized using rapid qualitative analysis methods. Results Participation rates for telehealth and virtual supervision were: Associated health HPTs (47.2% telehealth, 33.8% virtual supervision), physician residents (31.1% telehealth, 21.5% virtual supervision), and nursing HPTs (22.9% telehealth, 21.5% virtual supervision) (p < .001). HPTs of all professions expressed positive views on their experiences, with profession-specific differences noted in location, frequency and depth of these practices. Conclusions Participation in telehealth and virtual supervision was common and well received by HPTs across multiple professions in VA. HPT responses suggest additional efforts are needed to refine profession-specific instructional methods tailored for defined educational needs and goals.