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VA To Establish Nursing Academy
June 4, 2007
Secretary Nicholson: “Holds Great Promise for the Future”
WASHINGTON – To address a shortage of nurses across the nation and
ensure that veterans continue to receive personalized, world-class care
in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, VA has announced
creation of a new multi-campus Nursing Academy.
“Our new, pilot VA Nursing Academy holds great promise for the future of
our health care professionals and, most importantly, our patients,” said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “It will expand our
teaching faculty, improve recruitment and retention, and create new
educational and research opportunities.”
VA has one of the largest nursing staffs of any health care system in
the world, with about 61,000 registered nurses, licensed practical
nurses, vocational nurses and nursing assistants at the Department’s 153
medical centers and nearly 900 clinics.
A five-year, $40 million pilot program will establish partnerships with
12 nursing schools across the country during the next three years,
beginning with four for the 2007-2008 academic year.
The VA nursing academy is a virtual
organization with central administration in Washington and teaching at
competitively selected nursing schools across the country who partner
with VA.
VA currently provides clinical education to nearly 100,000 health
professional trainees annually, including students from more than 600
schools of nursing.
Despite a nationwide shortage of nurses, the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing has reported that more than 42,000 qualified
applicants were turned away from nursing schools in 2006 because of
insufficient numbers of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space and
clinical mentors.
“The new partnerships will reinvigorate VA’s nursing academic
affiliations and ensure continued quality in clinical education,” said
Dr. Michael J. Kussman, VA’s Acting Under Secretary for Health.
Further information about the pilot program can be obtained from VA’s
Office of Academic Affiliations Web site at
www.va.gov/oaa .
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Larry Scott
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