Noteboom The Law Firm

New Nurse Training Program Focuses on Veteran Care

March 26, 2010 - The Medical College of Georgia and Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center have teamed up together to create a unique training program for nurses. The joint venture's goal is to turn out skilled nursing students efficient in successfully treating veterans in VA clinics and hospitals.

The program is called the Dedicated Clinical Nurse Leader-Students to Veterans Program and operates to allow master's-level clinical nurse leaders (CNLs) to complete 3 clinical rotations at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. Being submerged in this environment allows the nurses to experience the medical needs of veterans first hand.

By keeping nurses assigned to dedicated units, such as a group of veterans, medical errors are decreased and the level of health care given to the patients increases. VA systems can be difficult to learn and navigate and the training nurses receive while on their rotations can make the transition into a VA hospital following graduation much easier.

Rotations usually find nurses visiting different hospitals and studying different specialties. For nurses who want to work with veterans, this program is a perfect fit. The VA's current plan places one CNL on staff by 2012 and one staff CNL per unit by 2016.