Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Space Planning Criteria (Chapter 248)
Washington, DC 20420
February 2007
and/or sharing of facilities with affiliated medical schools will influence the additional
programs provided. Expanded core requirements include the same functions as Core
program (MMS) with larger space allowances to accommodate increased production
volumes, and flexibility in response to more complex media requirements of the
academic environment. Expanded Core Requirements must be justified at a
nonaffiliated medical center with appropriate personnel and program need.
H. Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): A staffing parameter equal to the amount of time
assigned to one full time employee. It may be composed of several part-time
employees whose total time commitment equals that of a full-time employee. One
FTE equals a 40 hours per week.
I.
Functional Area: The grouping of rooms and spaces based on their function within a
service. Typical Functional Areas are Reception Areas, Patient Areas, Support Areas,
Staff and Administrative Areas, and Residency Program.
J. Illustration Services: Illustration products include medical or scientific drawings that
are required for a wide variety of publication and presentation applications. Products
include free-hand art of anatomical, pathological, surgical, and clinical subjects in
support of scientific exhibits, electronic presentations and journal publications. Other
products may include complex renderings of medical equipment, building structures,
cartoons and schematic drawings.
K. Input Data Statements: A set of questions designed to elicit information about the
healthcare project in order to create a Program for Design (PFD) based on the criteria
parameters set forth in this document. Input Data Statements could be Mission
related, based in the project's Concept of Operations; and Workload or Staffing
related, based on projections and data provided by the VHA or the VISN about the
estimated model of operation for the facility. This information is processed through
mathematical and logical operations in VA-SEPS.
L. Medical Media VISN Support Site (MMVSS): A Medical Media Service that provides
media services and support to other medical centers within the same VISN.
M. Medical Media Services (MMS): A program that, at the minimum, provides
photography services and depending on number of FTE's, individual medical center
needs, and available VISN support, may also provide illustration, electronic graphic
design and publishing, video/sound recording, and CCTV, LAN and video distribution
services and or video teleconferencing service.
N. Photography Service: Still photography includes the production of black and white or
color prints, negatives, transparencies and a variety of digital files. Subjects may
include, but are not limited to, patient, clinical, surgical and autopsy procedures,
equipment, radiographs, illustrations, charts and graphs.
O. Program for Design (PFD): A space program based on criteria set forth in this
document and specific information about Concept of Operations, workload projections
and staffing levels authorized.
P. SEPS (VA-SEPS): Acronym for Space and Equipment Planning System, a digital tool
developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans
Affairs to generate a Program for Design (PFD) and an Equipment List for a VA
Medical Media Service (248): Page 3 of 14
Previous Page
