Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Space Planning Criteria (Chapter 402)
Washington, DC 20420
February 2007
1
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
A. This document outlines Space Planning Criteria for Chapter 402: Educational
Facilities. It applies to all medical facilities at the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA).
B. Space planning criteria for educational facilities ,which are best utilized within the
clinical setting are generally provided at the departmental (chapter) level, in each
separate chapter, including offices, laboratories, office/workrooms,
interview/consultation classrooms, and study cubicles.
C. Educational facilities which are provided in this chapter, are for all hospital staff not
otherwise accounted for in separate departmental chapters including space for
educational programs administration, professional conferences, demonstration
classrooms, an educational auditorium to accommodate the staff, fellows, medical
students, nursing students, allied health trainees, as well as the medical center's in-
service training programs.
D. Program clinical, departmental educational space either at the departmental (chapter)
level or alternatively in this chapter. Do not duplicate space.
2
DEFINITIONS
A Academic Institution Educational Programs:
1
Medical/Dental Programs. Healthcare academic programs in allopathic and
osteopathic medicine or dentistry.
2
Associated Health Education Programs. Educational programs other than
allopathic and osteopathic medicine and dentistry.
3
Non-clinical Programs. Programs in which trainees are not involved directly with
patient care but may train in patient care areas and have incidental patient
contact.
B Affiliated: An arrangement whereby a school of medicine agrees to staff a VA facility
with faculty physicians, nurses, residents and interns / externs. In return, the VA
provides the medical school with a venue to train new trainees. In this arrangement,
the VA retains responsibility for the care of its patients while the school of medicine
retains responsibility for all graduate level education and training.
C Clinic Stop: A clinic stop is one encounter of a patient with a healthcare provider.
Per these criteria, the clinic stop is the workload unit of measure for space planning.
One individual patient can have multiple clinic stops in a single visit or in one day.
D Concept of Operations: A user-developed guide to the functional operation of the VA
healthcare facility. It defines the function of the facility and the scope of medical
services, or Educational Facilities, to be provided in the new or remodeled space.
E Departmental Net to Gross (DNTG) Conversion Factor: A parameter, determined by
the VA for each space planning criteria chapter, used to convert the programmed Net
Educational Facilities (Chapter 402): Page 2 of 14
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