The objective of Managing Veteran’s Administration Health Care for the Present and Future is operational excellence in health care delivery.

VA managers access customized professional training

The Professional Development Center and School of Extended Studies at Portland State University collaborate with the South Cascades Veterans Administration Health Care Alliance to provide customized training for department managers at VA hospitals. The training schedule for this nontraditional group of students is set by the employer, to accommodate work schedules of both participants and their substitutes.

The collaboration with key community partners in this program implements an important goal of both the university and the School of Extended Studies – to promote lifelong learning and meet community needs for education and expertise.

Demand for efficiency met by teams and knowledge

The South Cascades VA Alliance was formed to increase efficiency of service delivery and reduce duplication of effort at VA hospitals in Oregon and southern Washington. Accordingly, the training program focuses on three main goals.

• Create a management team with the skills and knowledge to lead in a time of rapid change.
• Discuss issues of operational excellence, and build knowledge about “best practices” in health care management.
• Build a knowledge base and communication network among alliance leaders.

Program recognized for excellence in education

In a ceremony on July 30, 2001, the VA alliance recognized PSU’s Professional Development Center program for “excellence in education,” and cited the fine meshing of program design with client need. In a detailed exit survey to assess the program, participants generally report high levels of satisfaction and confirm that their management and leadership skills have been enhanced by the experience.

With 30 managers per cohort, many of them doctors and nurses, participants spend a six-month period for 120 hours of instruction in systems thinking, operational excellence, health system delivery, organizational strategy and politics, managerial accounting, and conflict resolution. To date, 90 managers have completed the program.

Partners begin with needs assessment to design curriculum

Prof. Sherril Gelmon, PSU College of Urban and Public Affairs, and Prof. Richard Sapp, PSU School of Business Administration, designed the development center’s curriculum around the results of a needs assessment administered to VA managers. Faculty from Business Administration, private consultants, and Dr. Gelmon provide instruction. Staff from PDC’s Corporate and Executive Education Program and from the Portland VA Hospital collaborate on program implementation.