Health Professions Education Training Opportunities

Graduate medical education

Psychiatry

• Acute inpatient psychiatry
• VMHAP addiction psychiatry
• Interprofessional primary care behavioral health and comprehensive pain and addiction medicine

Family medicine

• Geriatric evaluation and management
• Interprofessional primary care behavioral health (see “psychiatry”)
• Subspecialties
• Neurocognitive disorders
• Comprehensive pain and addiction medicine (see “psychiatry”)
• Community living center longitudinal
• Mental health triage (walk-in clinic)

Geriatrics and internal medicine specialties

• Geriatrics fellowship

1. Geriatric psychiatry consult/liaison
2. Dementia management clinic
3. Geriatric evaluation and management (see “family medicine”)

• Internal medicine specialties

1. Internal medicine 
2. Palliative care
3. Endocrinology
4. Preventive medicine

Medical student education

Psychiatry student education

Our fellowship programs offer post-residency, post-doctoral, and post-masters fellowships to physicians, dentists,  and associated health professionals. Find more information in our program brochures, available below.

Advanced fellowship in geriatrics

Research focus: physical function and frailty, cognitive aging, technology and aging, epidemiology of aging diseases

Advanced fellowship in health services research and development 

The Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR) has a rigorous two-year advanced fellowship that supports fellows striving to develop and enhance their health services research skills and become independent investigators after completing doctoral or clinical training.

Advanced fellowship in mental health illness research & treatment

VISN 1 New England Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) has a two-year psychology post-doctoral advanced fellowship program in mental illness research and treatment.

Interprofessional fellowship in psychosocial rehabilitation & recovery oriented services

The interprofessional fellowship program in psychosocial rehabilitation is a state-of-the-art clinical training program that focuses on the theory and practice of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery.

Postdoctoral residency training

Clinical psychology residency program
This program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA-CoA).

Interprofessional fellowship in psychosocial rehabilitation & recovery oriented services (PSR)
A state-of-the-art clinical training program that focuses on the theory and practice of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery. 

Clinical neuropsychology residency two-year specialty program
This program is fully accredited by the APA-CoA. 

Advanced fellowship in mental health illness research & treatment
VISN 1 New England Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) has a two-year psychology post-doctoral advanced fellowship program in mental illness research and treatment.

Internship training

Psychology internship program
This program is fully accredited by the APA-CoA. 

Practicum training

Clinical psychology practicum program
There are five tracks of clinical psychology practicum training at the site. 

Clinical neuropsychology practicum program
Primarily for applicants who have an interest in pursuing a career in neuropsychology as well as some documented coursework in assessment and theory, brain-behavior, and neuropsychology. 

Find more information in our program brochures, available below.

Social work trainee program

The social work trainee program offers expansive clinical training for Master of Social Work (MSW) candidates. VA Bedford Healthcare System has 17 paid stipend positions annually for second year MSW interns from accredited graduate schools of social work placed in various settings throughout the system. 

Interprofessional fellowship in psychosocial rehabilitation & recovery oriented services

The interprofessional fellowship program in psychosocial rehabilitation is a state-of-the-art clinical training program that focuses on the theory and practice of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery. Individualized, mentored clinical and research training is combined with a curriculum that emphasizes a comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation approach to service delivery, education, and implementing change in a mental health care setting.

Find more information in our program brochures, available below.

Training programs

Academic affiliations coordinator: Stacy Tsionis

• Art Therapy
• Audiology
• Dental Hygiene
• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Pharmacy
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Podiatry
• Social work
• Speech Pathology

To ask about a program not listed here, contact Dr. Tsionis.

Introducing VA Bedford's Psychiatric / Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program

The 12-month Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency program provides clinical and academic experiences for new graduate psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners transitioning into practice. The residency provides a supportive interprofessional learning environment for providing evidence-based clinical care to our nation’s Veterans. Upon successful completion of the residency, a certificate of completion is awarded. Find more information in our program brochure, available below.

Points of contact

Designated learning officer: Laura Dowling, MS, RN, CNL-BC

Academic affiliations coordinator and Northeast Region VA Nursing Alliance (NERVANA) co-chair: Stacy Tsionis

Psychiatric nurse practitioner residency program director: Kerri Keeler, MSN, PMHNP-BC

The 12-month Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency program provides clinical and academic experiences for new graduate mental health nurse practitioners transitioning into practice. The residency provides a supportive interprofessional learning environment for providing evidence-based clinical care to our nation’s Veterans. Upon successful completion of the residency, a certificate of completion is awarded.

Program Structure

This is a 12-month residency program with a fall cohort starting yearly in late August/early September. Fall 2024 start Date is to be determined, please contact program director for specific dates or questions pertaining to the year you are applying.

About Bedford VA

VA Bedford Healthcare System is one of the leading health care systems serving Veterans in the VA New England Healthcare System. VA Bedford is an innovative care center within VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1), which includes medical centers and clinics in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.  

VA Bedford Healthcare System provides healthcare services at four locations serving Veterans in Middlesex and Essex counties in Massachusetts. Facilities include our Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Bedford, and three community-based outpatient clinics in Lynn, Haverhill, and Gloucester. The hospital sits on a large, beautifully wooded campus adjacent to walking trails and a golf course. Bedford is located in the cradle of the nation, with Lexington, Concord, and Boston close by.

Our mental health programs include vocational services, peer services, homeless services, and outpatient mental health services. Our mental health service line is a nationally recognized leader in the areas of psychosocial rehabilitation, research, and education. 

Residency curriculum includes:

• Clinical rotations on interprofessional teams (80% of experience)

• Integrated and parallel didactics and education (20% of experience)

• Resident selected quality improvement project

Clinical rotations may include:

•Primary Care Behavioral Health

•Women’s Mental Health

•Behavioral Addictions

•Opioid Reassessment Clinic

•Interdisciplinary Pain Program

•Tobacco Cessation Clinic

•Mental Health Intensive Case Management Program for SMI

•Evidence-Based Psychotherapy

•Opportunities for additional specialty experience in: Mental Health Urgent Walk-in Clinic, Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, further training in individual and group psychotherapies

Supervision and training:

•Regular interdisciplinary supervision with psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, and licensed independent clinical social workers

• Weekly group supervision with interdisciplinary mental health trainees facilitated by faculty members and monthly NP resident peer consultation meetings

• Training in evidence-based psychotherapy of choice with a weekly consultation seminar 

• Grand and Schwartz rounds, VA trainings, and clinical case conferences. Opportunities for specialized trainings, including women’s reproductive mental health

•Weekly psychiatry journal clubs

•Regular psychiatry and psychotherapy didactics

• Opportunities for involvement in clinical research and individual and group psychotherapy

• Weekly interprofessional education seminars with interdisciplinary trainees

Applicant qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen

• Be a graduate of a master’s- or doctoral-level Nurse Practitioner program accredited by CCNE or the ACEN within the past 12 months prior to program start date

• Hold national board certification as a PMHNP through ANCC and state NP licensure within 90 days of employment

• Be serving in their first Nurse Practitioner role

• Proficient in written and spoken English

• Background and security investigation required

• Provide evidence or self-certification of satisfactory physical condition based on a physical examination in the past 12-months

• Provide evidence or self-certification of up-to-date vaccinations for healthcare workers as recommended by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and VA: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html  

• Random drug testing may be required

* June and July graduates may apply and will be considered, as long as graduation is before the program start date

Application Requirements

• Curriculum vitae

• Official graduate school transcripts

• Copy of RN license

• Personal statement: maximum of two (2) pages: what personal, professional, educational, and clinical experiences have led you to choose nursing as a profession, and the role of a mental health nurse practitioner as a specialty practice? What are your goals and aspirations for this residency program and how do they fit with your early and long-term career goals?

• Three (3) letters of recommendation (one must be from a faculty member of graduate program) emailed directly from individual writing letter to Kerri.Keeler@va.gov or in sealed envelope

Application Deadline: March 3, 2025

Application Submission:

Application materials may be emailed directly to kerri.keeler@va.gov. Official transcripts may be submitted via email or mailed to:

Kerri Keeler, Mental Health Clinic Mail Stop 136G Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital 200 Springs Road Bedford MA 01730

Benefits

• Competitive stipend: As of AY 2023, stipend amount is : $87,095

• A comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, federal holidays, and health benefits

• Hiring preference for open positions at Veterans Health Administration following successful completion of the residency

Apply today!

Questions?

Please contact:

Kerri Keeler, PMHNP-BC

VA Bedford Healthcare System

Kerri.keeler@va.gov |

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002

Phone: 202-336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
https://accreditation.apa.org/