Description
VA Registered Nurses (RN) utilize a base of knowledge to assess, plan, intervene to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. They are health educators and advocates for patients, families, and communities. When providing direct patient care, nurses observe, assess, and record outcomes, which provide the basis for care planning and intervention.
Nurses' roles range from performing direct patient care and case management to establishing nursing practice standards, developing quality assurance procedures, directing complex nursing care systems, conducting clinical research, teaching in nursing programs, and practicing in many other settings.
RNs also develop and manage nursing care plans, instruct patients and their families in proper care, and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain their health. While state laws govern the scope of nursing practice, it is usually the patient's needs that determine their daily job activities.
Nurses are highly respected and valued members of the health care team who bring their own body of knowledge to the process of health care. Nurses work in collaboration with physicians and members of other health care disciplines.
Once you are a professional nurse, you might choose to focus on a particular specialty. VA offers numerous specialty options, each of which has its own training/certification requirements and related professional network or organization. These include:
- Critical Care Nurse
- Emergency Nurse
- Hospice/Palliative Care Nurse
- Nephrology Nurse
- Nurse Educator
- Nurse Executive
- Oncology Nurse
- Orthopedic Nurse
- Peri-operative (O.R.) Nurse
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse
Requirements
For a position within the VA health care system, Registered Nurse applicants must hold an associate, bachelor's or master's degree from of a school of professional nursing approved by National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Also, a current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia is required.
