Walter Reed Army Medical Center has a long-standing reputation as one of the finest teaching institutions in the country. A fundamental mission of the hospital is to train physicians and other health care professionals for service to the Army and the nation. Walter Reed serves as the Department of Defense’s largest resource for the training of young physicians and other health care professionals as well as for the continuing education of the experienced care provider.

Walter Reed selects its medical intern class carefully each year from medical school graduates who rank high in their class. Interns serve either categorical internships working within a specific specialty, or they may rotate among the hospital’s many specialty services. The medical center also conducts intern programs for dentists, dietitians, and occupational therapists.

Walter Reed also conducts approximately 60 residency and fellowship programs for Army, Navy and Air Force physicians, as well as residencies in dentistry, pharmacy, health care administration, psychology, and a social work fellowship in child and family training. Other professionals also participate in programs in blood banking, clinical laboratory officer training, radiology and dialysis technician training, and clinical pastoral care.

As part of their training, and in preparation for additional military duties after their graduation, all residents participate in a ‘‘military unique” curriculum that provides service- and specialty-specific education critical for functioning as a medical officer during deployment, national crisis, war, or overseas assignment.

Our programs are among the top rated in the United States, and our graduates have a first-time pass rate of more than 95 percent on their specialty board examinations.

Approximately 400 teaching staff members who are board certified in their respective specialties supervise the trainees’ clinical care and encourage the residents and fellows to do clinical and bench research while at Walter Reed. Faculty and residents frequently publish articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association, New England Journal of Medicine, and their own specialty journals.

Graduate medical education at Walter Reed has grown significantly since its start in 1947 with small medical and surgical residency programs to prepare medical officers for certification by American specialty boards. The 2002-2003 academic year saw approximately 600 physicians in training in its highly competitive programs, and graduated residents in advanced training such as cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, forensic psychiatry and child psychiatry, as well as in such primary-care specialties as internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology.

Nursing Education and Staff Development Service provides continuing education and staff development opportunities to meet the learning needs of more than 6,000 health care staff members, including more than 1,400 nursing staff at Walter Reed.

The service conducts seven programs to prepare nurses with new military and nursing skills, and update their current knowledge. As a major Army Phase II site for training certified registered nurse anesthetists, Walter Reed prepares skilled providers through the U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Nursing Anesthesia Program. Graduates earn a Master of Science in Nursing on completing the 18-month program.

With readiness at the forefront of education, military and civilian nurses learn specialized skills and earn new occupational codes in the 14-week Phase II of the Critical Care Nursing Course. The 16-week Perioperative and Psychiatric⁄Mental Health Nurse Courses prepare skilled nurses for assignments in the United States, overseas and in deployment. The 20-week Dialysis Technician Course awards the M3 skill identifier to Army practical nurses and prepares them to provide dialysis to patients in hospitals and field settings. The 52-week Phase II of the U.S. Army Practical Nurse Course prepares graduates to take the practical nurse licensure examination after intensive clinical and classroom training.

Nursing Education conducts resuscitation courses, Health Care Specialist (91W) training, and the Instructor Training Course for providers and instructors at the medical center. NESD manages the automated training database that monitors training and licensure requirements for Walter Reed staff members. In 2003, the service provided more than 80 continuing education activities for approximately 35,000 contact hours to more than 2,800 staff members. NESD promotes career development of military and civilian nurses through tuition reimbursement, proficiency sustainment and leadership development programs.

The Department of Clinical Investigation oversees Walter Reed’s clinical investigation and research program involving human, animal, and laboratory related studies. DCI provides support to clinical investigators in the areas of research review; biometrics; automation support; research administration; funding; education and training; research laboratory support; and publication clearance. DCI directs, supports and reviews medical research and education programs with related activities throughout the medical center and the North Atlantic Region.

Walter Reed physicians are involved in research investigating a wide array of challenging clinical conditions, including the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV; viral hepatitis; prostate, breast, thyroid, gynecological and hematological cancers; cardiovascular disease, head injury; and deployment related illnesses. Hospital clinicians also do research involving surgical techniques and procedures. Many Walter Reed physicians collaborate with investigators from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research as well as civilian institutions.

The department also supports researchers through laboratory, computer and statistical assistance and through various research courses. Educational offerings include a research course for Walter Reed clinicians covering ethical issues, current regulations, and design considerations in conducting medical research. The department also offers a molecular biology course that introduces current concepts and provides hands-on experience with specific molecular biology laboratory techniques. Four times a year, DCI biostatisticians teach a series of introductory, hands-on seminars to familiarize researchers with Statistical Product and Service Solutions software and its applications to data management and analysis.

The Nursing Research Service carries out many nursing research projects, externally funded through the TriService Nursing Research Program and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. Current study topics include nurse staffing and patient safety, research utilization, telenursing, and the work environment in Army hospitals. At NRS, doctorally prepared nurse researchers support nursing research and scholarly activities conducted by nurses throughout Walter Reed.