Late Night Health Radio

Dr. Eddie Copelin II served in Iraq as part of the US Marine Corps Reserves. So when he returned from overseas and decided to pursue a degree in medicine at the American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine, he was disappointed to learn that an outdated U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policy prohibited him from carrying out the clinical training of his medical school education at any of the many VA Hospitals in the United States.“It was disappointing,” said Dr. Copelin. “I’m a veteran and I was in a position to help other veterans and I couldn’t.”The VA operates the nation’s largest integrated health care system, with more than 1,700 medical facilities nationwide. While international medical school graduates are permitted to work as residents in VA hospitals, medical students are prohibited from training in clerkships at VA hospitals. Medical students spend the last two years of their medical education in clinical settings at hospitals.Neal Simon, the President of AUA says this should