Welcome!

Rural Interdisciplinary Team Training (RITT), a component of the VA Geriatric Scholars Program, is an interactive face-to-face and/or virtual workshop, focused on team-based care for older Veterans. Over the course of the day, participants will learn about common geriatrics conditions, geriatric red flags prompting immediate action and assessment methods, including screening for cognitive impairment.  Each RITT training is co-facilitated by a clinician and an educator from GRECCs across the United States.

RITT is available for VA Hospitals,  VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic and Indian Health Service/Tribal clinic teams who primarily serve Veterans in rural communities.  There are a number of training options, including a full day of training, accredited for 6.5 hours of CEU/CME and a shorter, half-day of training accredited for 3.75 hours of CEU/CME.  There is also a specialized curriculum for Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) teams.  RITT workshops are accredited for the disciplines of:  Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Psychology, Social work, Dietetics, and OT by VA Employee Education System.

To learn more, visit our  RITT Overview webpage.

RECENT PUBLICATION
Evaluation of the RITT program published in the Gerontology & Geriatrics Education journal:  
The rural interdisciplinary team training program: a workforce development workshop to increase geriatrics knowledge and skills for rural providers


NEW FOR RITT

  • The RITT workshop is back in person!  Virtual trainings are also available. More information about RITT including how to schedule a workshop for your VA healthcare team, can be found in the RITT brochure.

  • GRECC Dementia Education Program (D.E.P.) is a free service for caregivers of Veterans with dementia.  Through monthly webinars that teach the Whole Health approach to stress-reduction and self-care, GRECC D.E.P. seeks to help caregivers learn practical, evidence-based ways to reduce stress and promote caring for self.  GRECC D.E.P. also works together with the VA Caregiver Support Program to host seminars for VISN 2 staff to promote learning about dementia and caregiving.  To learn more, visit our D.E.P. webpage.

  • The RITT workshops are reinforced with follow-up webinars related to cognitive impairment and other topics presented during RITT.  The archived webinars are included in the Cognitive Impairment, Memory Loss, & Dementia course.   



US Map showing RITT training locations from FY11 to FY22

Tools, Resources provided to host sites 

Due to availability some items are subject to change
  • VA Geriatric Scholars Program Toolkit - to access the electronic version of the toolkit, enroll in the   Geriatric Scholars Program Toolkit course 
  • RITT Binder
  • AGS Beers Criteria ®
  • Geriatrics At Your Fingertips® (book published by AGS)
  • Sepulveda GRECC Pocket Guide to Geriatric Assessments
  • SLU GEMS Pocket Guide
  • Outpatient Team Huddle Worksheet and DVD
  • Geriatric Delirium, Dementia and Depression Assessment Guide
  • And many more
                               
Archived recordings of RITT webinars

2011 to 2022

From its conception in 2011 until the end of FY22, RITT has covered 37 out of 50 states and every VISN in the VA
  • 2,470 participants 
  • Over 200 VA clinics served 
  • 32 IHS Clinics/Tribal Health/Villages served

Contact Us

If you need more information or would like to host a training: 
Eugenia Dorisca 
James J. Peters VAMC
eugenia.dorisca@va.gov
718-584-9000 x3836
Last modified: Wednesday, May 31, 2023, 11:35 AM