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VA partners with College of Nursing
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The College of Nursing in partnership with the Ralph H. Johnson
Veteran's Administration (VA) Medical Center was selected to
participate in the VA Nursing Academy (VANA) program. This VA
initiative was developed to bring more nurses into the national
workforce and improve the quality of health care veterans receive
through partnerships with VA medical centers and schools of nursing.
Currently, there are 15 universities participating in this program.
This partnership enabled the college to increase enrollment in the
accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program by 20 percent. This
year the college had 165 students who had clinical rotations at the VA.
“The expanded role of VA in the education of nurses will ensure the
department has the nurses needed to continue our world-class health
care for veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B.
Peake. “The VA Nursing Academy expands our teaching faculty, improves
recruitment and retention, and creates new educational and research
opportunities.”
The VA Nursing Academy is a virtual organization with central
administration in Washington. It expands learning opportunities for
nursing students at VA facilities, funds additional faculty positions
so competitively selected nursing school partners will accept
additional baccalaureate-level students, and increases recruitment and
retentions of VA nurses. The five-year, $4 million program began in
2007.
“Our relationship with the MUSC College of Nursing has always been a
strong one, but being a recipient of one of the VANA grants has
provided us with an opportunity to strengthen our partnership even
more. Not only is this a program that had provided professional
development for many of our VA staff as they move into clinical
instructor roles, but it also has provided a greatly enhanced clinical
experience for the students at the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC. These
positive student experiences have improved their knowledge base, and
been an extremely valuable recruiting tool for our faculty—a true
win-win situation for everyone involved,” said Mary Fraggos, R.N.,
associate director for nursing and patient care services, Ralph H.
Johnson VA Medical Center.
Friday, April 23, 2010
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