As we celebrate Memorial Day, 2011, all of us at In the Know send our deep gratitude to every past and current member of our Armed Forces. In addition, we would like to honor the 77,000 nursing personnel who work with Veterans in the VA health care system—including the more than 11,000 certified nursing assistants! Thank you for all you do to promote the health of Veterans across the United States.
Here are a few things you may not know about the VA health care system: (Thanks to the VA’s website, www.va.gov, for these facts.)
- The VA was a leader in the development of home care. During the early 1930s, a special category of VA “follow‑up” nurses visited Veteran patients at their homes in rural, isolated areas.
- Until 1976, nursing assistants outnumbered RNs. Today, there is approximately 1 CNA for every 4 RNs.
- In the early 1990s, some 2,300 VA nurses were in the ready reserve of the 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. Approximately 3,200 VA nurses are Veterans themselves.
- In 2005-06, VA nursing staff responded heroically to hurricanes Katrina and Rita by assisting with evacuation and continuing care of hundreds of VA hospital patients.
- The VA is working hard to address the nursing shortage by instituting several scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs that support nurses in continuing their education. Examples of such programs include: Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP); National Nursing Education Initiative (NNEI); Employee Incentive Support Program; and Tuition Support Program.
- Every year, nearly 30,000 student nurses gain clinical experience in a VA setting.
- Three years ago, the 4000th VA nurse graduated with the help of the Employee Incentive Scholarship Program. The awards from this program cover tuition and related expenses such as registration, fees and books.
To do our small part to honor the hardworking VA nursing staff, we are offering any VA health care facility three free inservices. Each facility may choose their three topics from among our vast library of CNA inservices.
There is no gimmick associated with this offer, no strings attached and no deadline. If you work at a VA facility, simply email us at info@knowingmore.com or call us at 877-809-5515. If needed, we will assist you in selecting the best topics for your facility. Your order will be filled promptly—and include our sincere gratitude for the work you do every day.
Happy Memorial Day!
