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Internships and fellowships

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VA Bedford offers internships and fellowships in a variety of areas. Learn more about our academic affiliations and other heath training programs.
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VA Bedford Healthcare System provides programs for health professions education at the college, university, and postgraduate levels. Explore our training programs to find out about how we can help you start your career as a health care professional.
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Training for medical health care professionals

VA Bedford Healthcare System partners with a number of colleges, universities, and medical schools to train almost 400 medical students, interns, and residents in many medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. You can complete your training rotations through our internship and residency programs at VA Bedford. We welcome candidates who are interested and experienced in caring for Veterans. Our academic affiliations include the Boston University School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lahey Hospital, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center,  St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and Steward Carney Hospital. 

Learn more about our medical training programs

Internships & fellowships

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
Undergraduate medical education

Medical student education

Psychiatry student education

 

Advanced fellow 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.

Training for associated health care professionals

You can train at VA Bedford Healthcare System for your career in an associated health care profession. We have ongoing training programs and partnerships with more than 90 associated health and nursing academic affiliates. 

Learn more about our training programs

Psychology training programs

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 training programs

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.

Associated health education

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.

Nursing education

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