Provider Education and Training
VA has a variety of resources available for community providers to equip you with the knowledge needed to successfully provide care to Veterans. This page contains the latest education and training resources offered for VA community providers.
Provider Training
Providers must create an account in VHA Training Finder Real-Time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN) and include their unique National Provider Identifier (NPI) in their VHA TRAIN profile before registering and completing this training. For assistance or help with VHA TRAIN account creation, please contact the VHA TRAIN Help Desk.
VHA TRAIN website VHA TRAIN Help Desk
Required course
Community providers are required to complete the Community Care Provider–Opioid Safety Initiative training course and fill out a form attesting to completion of the course (VA MISSION Act, Section 131).
Section 131: Opioid Safety Initiative
Highly recommended courses
It is also highly recommended community providers complete MISSION Act Section 133 general overview course as well as courses on suicide prevention, which fall under VA Secretary’s top priorities.
Section 133: A Perspective for Veteran Care
Preventing Suicide Through Lethal Mean Safety (MLS) & Safety Planning
Continuing medical education courses (CME)
To supplement the Section 133: A Perspective for Veteran Care training, specialty courses were developed and are available on the VHA TRAIN MISSION Act curriculum training site. Each of these courses offer continuing education credits (CEUs) to various continuing education organizations.
A Core Training on Military Sexual Trauma (MST) for Community Medical Professionals
A Core Training for MST for Community Mental Health Providers
Provider Webinar Series
VHA Office of Integrated Veteran care has sunsetted its live webinar series. To view previous webinars, visit the Provider Webinar Series Archive.
Provider Webinar Series Archive
VHA TRAIN Courses
VHA TRAIN provides a wealth of training and education resources for community providers. Per MISSION Act, Section 123, these offerings are no-cost, Veteran-focused, and accredited for continuing medical education. Courses are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Visit the VHA TRAIN website to get started. More information about how to enroll, a list of available courses, and additional instructions for how to register can be found in the VHA TRAIN account creation guide.
This VHA TRAIN video describes training course offerings and how to access them. Published on Nov 22, 2017.
VHA TRAIN website VHA TRAIN account creation guide
Additional Educational Resources
Disclaimer of hyperlinks: The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Veterans Affairs of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized VA activities, VA does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs and this VA web site.
Resource link | Description and additional links |
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War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) Provider Training | This webpage provides training on Veteran environmental and airborne health exposures including: Agent Orange, Gulf War, Burn-Pits and PFAS; and the range of chronic multi-symptom post-deployment illnesses including: pain, PTSD, fatigue, respiratory, and many more, to help providers and their care teams support the health care of Veterans. |
VHA TRAIN–Military Culture: Core Competencies for Healthcare Professionals | These training courses provide community providers with information about treating the unique Veteran patient population.
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Center for Deployment Psychology | This website supports and enhances the Military Culture: Core Competencies for Healthcare Professionals online course. |
Community Care Provider Opioid Safety Initiative | This training course promotes evidence-based management of Veterans with chronic pain. A collaborative effort between VA and community providers, the goal is to improve patient outcomes and decrease the incidence of complications from opioid prescribing. |
VHA Pain Management Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) | This webpage serves to educate and ensure a greater awareness of the first evidence-based guideline to be shared with our community partners – the VHA Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI). The initiative is focused on building a collaborative relationship between VHA and its community partners to improve patient outcomes, ensure patient safety, and increase efficiency of our community-based services. |
VA Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) and Centers of Excellence (CoEs) Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program | MIRECC/CoEs Suicide Risk Management program offers free consultation for any provider who works with Veterans at-risk for suicide. Other resources available from MIRECC include: |
National Center for PTSD | These resources are free and available to any provider:
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Community Provider Toolkit | A useful toolkit for community providers who take care of Veterans. |
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Consultation Program | This program provides training and consultation on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for health care professionals who treat Veterans. |
Pregnancy Management: Clinical Practice Guidelines | This detailed VA/DoD reference guide provides industry best practices for symptoms and diagnoses related to pregnancy management. |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain | Chronic pain is common, multidimensional, and individualized, and treatment can be challenging for healthcare providers as well as patients. In response to the critical need for consistent and current opioid prescribing guidelines, the CDC released the Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. |
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Education and Outreach | Get training, earn credit, attend events and find resources. |
American Medical Association (AMA) Continuing Education | Sharpen your knowledge and build essential skills to succeed in your medical practice. |
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Learning Opportunities | AHIMA offers learning opportunities on many topics. |
2021 Evaluation and Management Changes PPT | A useful PowerPoint about changes in evaluation and management for new and established outpatient code selection. |
Guidance on coding of clinical encounters in VHA on-station chiropractic care (April 2021) |
General recommendations and guidance from the Chiropractic Program Office intended for chiropractic providers coding clinical encounters. |