Looking to build your career as a new Registered Nurse (RN), but not sure where to start? Discover a training program that will help bridge the gap between the classroom and real-world experience.
New nurses and recent nursing program graduates: VA’s RN Transition-To-Practice (RNTTP) Residency Program is structured for your success. This program gives new nurses the specific tools and guidance they need to grow and develop within the health care industry.
Transition from the classroom to practice
It’s no secret that nursing is a challenging career path. Although it is certainly a rewarding and honorable one as well, nursing can be mentally and physically demanding. The team-focused, support component of the RNTTP Residency Program cannot be overemphasized – it aids in your overall success as a nurse.
Throughout the 12-month developmental training program, experienced nurses will guide you through the role, duties, patient care activities and procedures RNs perform. Your assigned preceptor/preceptors will work closely with you during unit-based clinical orientation and throughout the program.
RNTTP Program Manager, Kim DeMasi, believes the program is built for success.
“Transitioning from student nurse to practicing RN can seem daunting; change is a challenge and an opportunity. The VHA RNTTP Residency Program is designed to provide the support you need to confidently and competently face this new challenge,” said DeMasi.
Learn more about the RNTTP Residency Program
If you have recently graduated from your nursing program or are a new graduate RN with less than a year of professional experience, you are eligible to enroll in the program.
In addition, VA medical centers are located nationwide – so your perfect job opportunity is waiting for you wherever you are. Above all, through developing your career at VA, you will be directly impacting the lives of our nation’s Veterans.
Discover exceptional career benefits
VA is the nation’s leading employer of nurses, with a team of more than 100,000 and growing. Nurses of all employment levels can take advantage of over 7,000 training programs in affiliation with over 1,800 educational institutions, from mandatory developmental programs to competitive opportunities. There are endless possibilities for growing your skills and advancing your career within the agency.
As the nation’s largest health care system, VA offers state-of-the-art tools, including speech-recognition capabilities, virtual technologies, mobile devices and renowned knowledge-based resources. VA is also the leader in telehealth, clinical innovation, and surgical quality.
Nurses are the backbone of VA’s health system and make a profound impact on the lives of Veterans every day, just as they have for the last 100 years. As you consider a career in nursing with VA, take a look at how VA nurses have established a legacy of service and advancement throughout the decades…
A VA Nursing Timeline
1921 – In 1921, about 1,400 hospital nurses were transferred from the nation’s Public Health Service to the new Veterans’ Bureau (the predecessor to VA), paving the way for nursing at VA as we know it today. The move was necessitated by a need for long-term care as the bureau focused on its Veteran patients.
1930 – The modern nursing service took its present shape in 1930, when three federal agencies responsible for Veterans’ programs consolidated into the new Veterans Administration, and around 2,500 registered nurses went to work for VA.
1940s – During World War II, approximately 1,000 student cadet nurses were assigned to VA hospitals, spending 6 months or more of their academic programs gaining clinical nursing experience. Meanwhile, about 1,000 registered nurses were among the more than 7,000 VA employees who left to join the armed forces during the early years of the war.
1950s – As the 1950s arrived, VA’s first chief of nursing education was appointed, leading to the decade’s focus on continuing education ongoing to this day. Affiliations with schools of nursing expanded, resulting in a steady growth in the number of nursing students receiving VA clinical experience.
1963 – In 1963, the VA nursing service was first in the profession to establish a position for doctoral-prepared nurse researchers, formalizing the research function within the service.
1973 – By 1973, nurses were performing a wider variety of health care functions than ever before throughout VA. They were delegated authority to function as primary providers of Veteran care while working closely with physicians and other members of interdisciplinary teams. That same year, 43 nurse practitioner positions were added to improve patient care in admissions areas – the first major use of nurse practitioners in VA.
1980s – Recruiting and retention became a key focus of the nursing service in the 1980s, a response to the regional and national nurse shortages that characterized the decade. We instituted a wide range of scholarship and tuition assistance programs to attract new nurses and boost employee career commitment.
1990s – At the start of the 1990s, some 2,300 VA nurses were in the ready reserve of the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of the Persian Gulf crisis. More than 600 were called to active duty, and another 300 were put on alert status.
2000s – In 2005 and 2006, VA nursing staff responded to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, assisting with evacuation and continuing care of hundreds of VA hospital patients. The service partnered with other federal agencies to establish and provide care at shelters in Texas.
2021 – In the modern era, over 112,000 nurses support the mission of the VA health care system by providing state-of-the-art, cost-effective nursing care to patients and families as they respond to health and illness.
Work at VA
As you plan to join our team, you now know that you’ll be part of a century-long tradition of professionalism and advancement that no other organization can beat.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Each time Chayse Roth drives home to North Carolina, he notices the highway welcome signs that declare: “Nation’s Most Military Friendly State.”
“That’s a powerful thing to claim,” said Roth, a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who served multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Now he says he’s calling on the state to live up to those words. A Wilmington resident, Roth is advocating for lawmakers to pass a bill that would legalize medical marijuana and allow veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other debilitating conditions to use it for treatment.
“I’ve lost more men to suicide since we went to Afghanistan in ’01 than I have in combat,” said Roth, who said he doesn’t use cannabis himself but wants others to have the option. “It’s just unacceptable for these guys to go overseas and win the battle and come home and lose the battle to themselves.”
He is among several veterans brought together by a recently formed advocacy group called NC Families for Medical Cannabis. These veterans have testified before the legislature and visited lawmakers individually.
In a state that’s home to eight military bases, one of the largest veteran populations in the country and a Republican-controlled legislature that prides itself on supporting the troops, they hope their voices will act as a crucial lever to push through a bill that has faced opposition in the past.
“If we really want to be the most veteran-friendly state in the union, this is just another thing we can do to solidify that statement,” Roth said.
From California to Massachusetts, veterans have been active in the push for medical marijuana legalization for decades. But now, as the movement focuses on the remaining 14 states that have not enacted comprehensive medical marijuana programs or full marijuana legalization, their voices may have outsize influence, experts say.
Many of these remaining states are in the traditionally conservative South and dominated by Republican legislatures. “The group carrying the message here makes a huge difference,” said Julius Hobson Jr., a former lobbyist for the American Medical Association who now teaches lobbying at George Washington University. “When you’ve got veterans coming in advocating for that, and they’re considered to be a more conservative bunch of folks, that has more impact.”
Veterans also have the power of numbers in many of these states, Hobson said. “That’s what gives them clout.”
To be sure, not every veteran supports these efforts, and the developments in red states have been influenced by other factors: advocacy from cancer patients and parents whose children have epilepsy, lawmakers who see this as a states’ rights issue, a search for alternative pain relief amid the opioid epidemic and a push from industries seeking economic gains.
But the attention to the addiction and suicide epidemics among veterans, and calls to give them more treatment options, are also powerful forces.
In states like North Carolina, where statewide ballot initiatives are banned, veterans can kick-start a conversation with lawmakers who hold the power to make change, said Garrett Perdue, the son of former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and a spokesperson for NC Families for Medical Cannabis and CEO of Root Bioscience, a company that makes hemp products.
“It fits right in with the general assembly’s historical support of those communities,” Perdue said. “For [lawmakers] to hear stories of those people that are trusted to protect us and enforce the right of law” and see them as advocates for this policy “is pretty compelling.”Gary Hess (left) and Chayse Roth have testified at North Carolina Legislature hearings advocating for a bill to legalize medical marijuana ― primarily as a treatment for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.(ROB RENS)
Gary Hess, a Marine Corps veteran from Louisiana, said he first realized the power of his platform in 2019, when he testifiedin front of the state legislature about seeing friends decapitated by explosions, reliving the trauma day-to-day, taking a cocktail of prescription medications that did little to help his symptoms and finally finding relief with cannabis. His story resonated with lawmakers who had served in the military themselves, Hess said.
He recalled one former colonel serving in the Louisiana House telling him: “They’re not going to say no to a veteran because of the crisis you’re all in. As someone who is put together well and can tell the story of marijuana’s efficacy, you have a powerful platform.”
Hess has since started his own nonprofit to advocate for medical marijuana legalization and has traveled to other state and national events, including hearings before the North Carolina legislature.
“Once I saw the power my story had,” he said, “the goal became: How do I expedite this process for others?”
Experts trace the push for medical marijuana legalization back to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s, particularly in California’s Bay Area.
As the movement tried to expand, medical marijuana activists realized other regions were not as sympathetic to the LGBTQ community, said Lee Hannah, an associate professor of political science at Wright State University who is writing a book about the rise of legal marijuana in the U.S. They had to find “more target populations that evoke sympathy, understanding and support,” Hannah said.
Over time, the medical marijuana conversation grew from providing symptom relief for patients with AIDS to include such conditions as cancer, pediatric epilepsy and PTSD, Hannah and his colleagues noted in a 2020 research paper. With each condition added, the movement gained wider appeal.
“It helped change the view of who a marijuana user is,” said Daniel Mallinson, a co-author on the 2020 paper and the upcoming book with Hannah, and an assistant professor at the Penn State-Harrisburg School of Public Affairs. “That makes it more palatable in these legislatures where it wouldn’t have been before.”
The movement got another boost in 2016 when the American Legion, a veterans organization with 1.8 million members known for its conservative politics, urged Congress to remove marijuana from its list of prohibited drugs and allow research into its medical uses.
“I think knowing an organization like the American Legion supports it frankly gives [lawmakers] a little bit of political cover to do something that they may have all along supported but had concerns about voter reaction,” said Lawrence Montreuil, the group’s legislative director.
In Texas, when the Republican governor recently approved a law expanding the state’s limited medical marijuana program, he tweeted: “Veterans could qualify for medical marijuana under new law. I will sign it.”
It’s smart political messaging, Hannah said. Elected officials “are always looking to paint laws they support in the most positive light, and the approval rate of veterans is universally high.”
Nationally, veteran-related marijuana bills seem to be among the few cannabis-related reforms that have gained bipartisan support. Bills with Democratic and Republican co-sponsors in Congress this session deal with promoting research into medical marijuana treatment for veterans, allowing Veterans Affairs doctors to discuss cannabis with patients in states where it is legal and protecting veterans from federal penalization for using state-legalized cannabis.
Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), who has co-sponsored two bipartisanbills concerning veterans and medical marijuana this session, said the interest of veterans is “what drew me to cannabis in the first place.”
In North Carolina, veterans like Roth and Hess, along with various advocacy groups, continue to drum up support for the medical marijuana bill. They know it’s a long battle. The bill must clear several Senate committees, a full Senate vote and then repeat the process in the House. But Roth said he’s optimistic “the veteran aspect of it will be heavily considered by lawmakers.”
An early indication of that came at a Senate committee hearing earlier this summer. Standing at the podium, Roth scrolled through his phone to show lawmakers how many of his veteran contacts were now dead due to suicide. Other veterans testified about the times they had contemplated suicide and how the dozens of prescription medications they had tried before cannabis had done little to quiet those thoughts.
The hearing room was silent as each person spoke. At the end, the lawmakers stood and gave a round of applause “for those veterans who are with us today and those who are not.”
Every VAMC has a designated women Veterans program manager to help women Veterans access VA benefits and health services
Women are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. Veteran population, and we’re ready to provide them with high-quality health care delivered by dedicated women’s health providers.
To encourage servicewomen who are transitioning out of the military or are new Veterans to enroll in VA health care, we’ve kicked off a new, online women’s health transition training program. The training provides a detailed look at all of the VA health services and programs available to women Veterans. The program also covers information about eligibility, how to enroll in VA health care, and how to connect with other women Veterans.
The training is designed to complement VA’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and is based on an in-person and virtual program started as a joint effort between VA and the Department of Defense.
Some of the health services available to women Veterans include reproductive care, maternity care, cancer screenings, whole health and mental health services for issues including military sexual trauma, domestic violence, post-deployment adjustment and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Every VA medical center (VAMC) has a designated women Veterans program manager to help women Veterans access VA benefits and health care services. Each VAMC also has a health care professional available by phone 24/7 to answer health-related questions and offer advice.
Advancing women’s health
A lot has been happening on the women’s health front at VA, which increases our need for professionals in this field. For instance, we’re partnering with other federal agencies, academic institutions and private health care companies to improve prevention, treatment and outcomes for women Veterans with cancer. We created the Women’s Health Mini-Residency for Primary Care Rural Providers and Nurses. The program aims to increase skills related to women’s health among nurses and providers serving rural communities. Research on women Veterans’ health is expanding, and deployment and post-deployment health research is now a major part of the VA women’s health research portfolio.
We’re also actively recruiting more health care providers with expertise in women’s health to participate in these initiatives and help serve the growing number of women Veterans seeking care.
Dual mission
If you want to serve Veterans and are interested in promoting and protecting women’s health, VA is the place for you! Not only will you get to fulfill a rewarding dual mission and win the gratitude of Veterans you care for, you will:
Receive excellent benefits, including a generous health care and retirement plan.
Have opportunities to advance your education and career with financial support from VA.
Be able to contribute to innovations and research that improve the health and quality of life for all Veterans.
New nurses can say good-bye to first-job jitters knowing they’ll have a year of dedicated time to train, learn and grow through VA’s nurse residency program.
Instead of typical on-the-job training, participants in the program have 100% protected training time for 12 months. Hundreds of nurses at more than 100 residency programs across the nation go through the program each year.
The only nursing traineeship model of its kind, our Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Nurse Residency Program is designed to help newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) prepare to address the unique health care needs of Veterans.
“What benefited me the most from doing the OAA RN residency was the ability to ease myself into practice at a controlled pace while simultaneously learning additional skills,” said residency graduate Nathaniel Cline, BSN, RN, who is now a surgical intensive care unit nurse at Birmingham VA Medical Center.
Ease the Transition
The program is “a bridge from a solid academic foundation to clinical practice, and it allows new nurses to focus on identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and enhance their skills and knowledge,” said Director of Nursing Education Jemma Ayvazian, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCNP.
Graduates leave the program as competent, confident health care professionals with the “knowledge and skills to successfully practice in today’s complex, fast-paced health care environment,” Ayvazian said.
Though it’s not required, most decide to stay at VA when their residency is complete.
Now a medical/hematology/oncology nurse at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, Kelsey Greuel, BSN, RN, not only stayed on at VA, but quickly moved into leadership roles. She now serves as Nurse Executive Council RN co-chair.
“The OAA RN residency program provided me with the tools and experiences I needed to become a well-rounded nurse, find my passion in nursing and introduced me to lifelong friends,” she said.
Supportive Atmosphere
Outside their residency, nurses will find a culture of support and camaraderie throughout VA. The residency program wasn’t in place when Ayvazian began her nursing career, but helpful mentors at VA were there to guide her.
“VA has the most diverse and dedicated team of health professionals, and I am honored and proud to serve shoulder-to-shoulder with them,” she said.
At VA, nurses are a key part of health care teams united by a common mission – serving the nation’s heroes.
“I never considered working anywhere else. Working at VA is more than just a place of employment for me; it has a deeper purpose and meaning,” said Ayvazian, who is married to a service-connected disabled Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran.
Work at VA
Ease your transition into your first job with VA’s nursing residency program.
Working as a long-term care nurse at VA, you’ll help provide a home away from home for Veterans needing around-the-clock skilled nursing care
VA’s community living centers are a home away from home for Veterans in need of around-the-clock skilled nursing and medical care.
At more than 100 centers across the nation, we help Veterans get back on their feet, care for those suffering from dementia and other cognitive issues, and provide palliative and end-of-life care.
Working as a long-term care nurse with this unique patient population is a career that comes with plentiful rewards.
“Long-term care nursing is a specialty. Being in this trusted position as a long-term care health care worker is to be at the forefront of health care delivery,” said Melissa Lasley, RN, nurse recruiter for the VA Maine Healthcare System.
Consider a VA career
Lasley doesn’t just have one reason to consider a career caring for Veterans at one of our community living centers – she has 12 of them.
It’s rewarding. “After finishing a day of work in dementia care, I leave my shift knowing I made a difference in the residents’ quality of life. At times, it feels rewarding in small ways, like de-escalating an anxious resident or engaging them in an intervention. Other times, it’s by being with the resident during their final hours and helping them to connect with family members. In all ways, big and small, we make a difference.”
It’s refreshing. “Residents have often given up caring about what people think and, therefore, say exactly what they mean.”
It’s entertaining. “They have amazing stories. Even Veterans with relatively advanced dementia can recall events from distant past, and it can be good for them to do so, so just ask.”
It’s important work. “As of 2017, the number of Veterans living with dementia was more than 750,000. An estimated 420,000 additional cases were diagnosed between 2010 and 2020. This is a critical mass of heroes, each of whom deserves quality care.”
It’s an honor. “When working with seniors, we often come across those who have lived through loss, immigrations, wars and much more. With all their life history, I always feel thankful and honored that I am entrusted to get to know them and provide the best possible care I can.”
It’s challenging. “Working with clients with dementia is something that not only requires experience and training but continued professional development over time. There is so much to learn about working with this population and room for continued improvement.”
It’s a specialty. “Nurses can develop a sense of pride in becoming an expert in geriatric care, just as they can with any other specialty. When an elderly patient experiences trauma, goes into anaphylactic shock or contracts a urinary tract infection, the clinical picture is far different from that of a 30-year-old. Having the knowledge to quickly assess and treat problems can drastically improve the quality of life for our Veterans.”
It’s a learning opportunity. “Veterans teach us from the moment we first meet. Often, it is just by being witness to their story. Other times, Veterans take on a teacher-like role, which may help them feel empowered, autonomous or a reconnection with their sense of self. From my work in dementia care, I’ve learned that I shouldn’t take life so seriously, laughter and humor are key, courage can always be found, and feeling connected is everything.”
It’s about the moment. “The reality of working with Veterans who have dementia is they may not recall working with you or having met you the week prior. This means our goals and objectives often need to pertain to a resident’s quality of life within the given moment rather than from week to week.”
It’s all about connection. “Building a trusting therapeutic relationship with resident Veterans is of key importance, and building a connection sometimes takes more than verbal interactions. A typical conversation is not always possible. Sometimes, connection is accomplished simply through a calming presence and a gentle approach.”
It’s someone’s parent. “Yes, this is sentimental, but the Veteran geriatric population have some miles on them. They may have fought in wars, raised families and experienced loss. Call it karma or responsibility, but when I care for geriatric Veterans, I hope when my family members grow old and sick, someone takes good care of them too.”
It’s thought-provoking. “Making connections with Veterans who have dementia is about much more than following rules and standards on building rapport; it’s about an intuitive feeling they perceive from your intentions when you approach. After caring for many within the geriatric population and likely attending their deaths, it’s difficult not to be drawn into wondering what amends, regrets and triumphs YOU will have at the end of your life.”
Cutting edge of care
If you need a 13th reason to pursue a career in long-term care nursing at VA, consider this: our community living centers are on the forefront of change.
VA Maine and many other centers are transitioning to a more patient-centered culture based on the needs and preferences of Veterans. At VA Maine, they will be breaking ground soon on a “small house,” similar to the Green House models adopted at some of our other community living centers.
These cozy buildings are designed to house small groups of Veterans and include community kitchens and dining rooms, private rooms and bathrooms, and ample outdoor living space.
“All are an important part of the holistic approach to caring for our Veterans, providing a home setting they are comfortable and proud to live in,” Lasley said.
Work at VA
Give back to a generation of Veterans who has provided so much for their country. Explore a long-term care nursing position with VA.
