Priority Competencies for Designated Education Officers in the Veterans Health Administration.

Veteran Health Administration subject-matter experts in educational leadership say the identified competencies are urgently needed, critical for effective leadership, and valuable for distinguishing superior DEO performance. The competencies are relevant to VHA and perhaps other senior academic leaders who develop health professions education programs, oversee clinical training, and manage educational change. In military training facilities, attending to these competencies can help Designated Institutional Officials responsible for graduate medical education become more credible partners to other hospital leaders and contribute to becoming a high reliability organization. Executives identifying, recruiting, and appointing VHA DEOs and Designated Institutional Officials at military training facilities should consider these competencies when assessing candidates.