Office of Nursing Services (ONS)
This site provides information and resources for the nursing community and professional colleagues in related fields. Its purpose is to promote awareness of current nursing practices, products, and services within the VA nursing community.
VA Nursing is a dynamic, diverse group of honored, respected, and compassionate professionals. VA is the leader in the creation of an organizational culture where excellence in nursing is valued as essential for quality healthcare for those who served America.
Reasons Nurses Love to Work at the VA (pdf)
Office of Nursing Services - 2022 Annual Report
The Office of Nursing Services (ONS) is pleased to announce the release of the 2022 Annual Report. In addition to sharing collective achievements aligned to the VHA Nursing Workforce Strategic Plan, you’ll find Nursing by the Numbers, Faces from the Frontlines, and a tribute to Dr. Beth Taylor, a Nursing Legend Retires. This report also includes several other features such as Celebrating Success and multiple videos of ‘VA Nurses Making a Difference.’ And notably, wherever possible, this report also depicts photographs of current frontline VHA nurses. These ‘faces from the field’ represent our exceptionally diverse nursing workforce who all have one thing in common: honoring the Veteran through excellence in healthcare delivery. For any question please contact: [email protected].
2022 ONS Annual Report
Healthcare Acquired Pneumonia Prevention by Engaging Nurses (HAPPEN)
Recognized as a Diffusion of Excellence Gold Status Practice and a 2020 Gears of Government President's Award Winner, Healthcare Acquired Pneumonia Prevention by Engaging Nurses (HAPPEN) posits that by simply ensuring adequate oral care, twice a day, nurses can help prevent pneumonia development in hospitalized patients. At present, VA Medical Centers are actively leveraging HAPPEN pneumonia prevention principles. As such, VA nurses are successfully reducing non-device associated pneumonia rates across VA by providing consistent oral care likely saving lives, improving clinical outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. Early results are also demonstrating a reduction in community acquired pneumonia rates. The following HAPPEN Tool Kit resources will provide those essential items necessary for local implementation. VA encourages all public/private healthcare facilities consider the HAPPEN program for implementation, for any question please contact: [email protected].
VA Travel Nurse Corps Program
The VA Travel Nurse Corps Program (TNC) is a VA operated internal pool of Registered Nurses available for temporary assignments throughout the Veterans Health Administration. The goals of the program are to maintain high standards of patient care quality and safety; reduce the use of outside supplemental staffing; improve recruitment of new nurses into the VA system; improve retention by decreasing turnover of newly recruited nurses; support the delivery of VA health care in rural or underserved areas; provide alternatives for experienced nurses considering leaving the VA system; and to establish a potential pool of Registered Nurses for national emergency preparedness efforts.
For additional information, please visit the ONS Travel Nurse Corps page or contact [email protected].
