Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
Washington, D.C. -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),
the nation's largest employer of registered nurses, today
announced a national initiative to support its nursing work force,
including earmarking $50 million for education assistance for those
seeking baccalaureate or higher nursing degrees. VA believes the
scope of this initiative makes it the first of its kind in the nation.
Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer, VA Under Secretary for Health, said the
major elements of the initiative are as follows:
Adoption of new performance standards for more
than 36,000 VA registered nurses; these
performance standards establish new education and
practice requirements for advancement;
Establishes the baccalaureate degree as the level of
educational preparation that VA's professional
nursing work force must have by 2005, and puts this
requirement in place for new hires immediately;
Earmarks $50 million over the next five years to
assist its nursing personnel to attain the baccalaureate
(or higher) degree, as well as to meet other specific
occupational training needs; and,
Provides the nursing work force innovative
academic opportunities and educational programs in
partnership with professional nursing organizations.
The first step in achieving the final element of the initiative was
taken today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) between the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and
the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Under
the terms of this MOU, the AACN will work with VHA to find
innovative ways of bringing nursing education opportunities to the
VA work place.
VA's aim is to ensure that its nurses are educationally prepared to
provide the highest quality health care to veterans across the full
range of current clinical practice roles and settings, as well as the
many new roles for nurses that are evolving.
The standards and implementation plans have been developed in
collaboration with a variety of professional nursing organizations
and institutions, including labor unions, the American Nurses
Association, the Nurses Organization of the VA, and the
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Provision is made
for continuation of nurses in their current grades and for entry level
hiring of all nurses.
Dr. Kizer said, "VA is partnering with these groups, and expects
to partner with others as we move forward, to assure that VA
nurses have convenient access to the educational programs they
want and need to avail themselves of new practice opportunities
and to continue to deliver the highest quality care to our nation's
veterans."
The education assistance element of VA's initiative will largely be
implemented locally by VA's 22 integrated service networks -- the
field management units for VA health services -- under national
guidelines that will assist local education initiatives in meeting
best-practice principles. It is estimated that more than 5,000 VA
nurses are likely to return to school.
VA's nursing performance and education requirements are
contained in "nurse qualification standards" that were last revised in
1982. The former five-grade nurse classification system has been
revised by a VA task force that collaborated with
professional nursing organizations, unions, and VA management,
using the American Nurses' Association "Standards of Clinical
Nursing Practice."
The education assistance incentives and revised qualification
standards reflect VA's need for nurses with additional education
beyond entry-level credentials.
VA provides care to approximately 3.5 million veterans annually
through nearly 36 million outpatient visits and 800,000 inpatient
admissions at more than 1,100 sites of care across the nation.
While the new program of education support is available only to
VA registered nurses, others interested in learning of employment
opportunities with VA may call the VA Placement Service at
1-800-949-0002 for information.
