Florida International University (FIU) Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences, (FIU NWCNHS) is answering the call to recruit and prepare nurses to care for the country’s military veterans with the launch of the Veteran Affairs (VA) Office of Academic Affiliation (OAA) Post-Baccalaureate Nurse Residency Program (PBNR) administered by Miami VA Healthcare System (“Miami VA”) in collaboration with the university. The nurse residency program is the first in the College’s and Miami VA’s respective histories, and promotes the Miami VA into an exclusive group of only 14 VA hospitals in the country to offer this specialized training program for nurses.
“The integration of veteran-centric subject matter and experiential activities embedded into the curriculum that extends over 12 months with dedicated preceptors in the VA clinical setting is what sets the PBNR apart from traditional undergraduate nurse residency programs,” remarked Ora L. Strickland, dean of the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences. “We will leverage academic and clinical resources to support a specialized nursing program focused on the care and management of health problems impacting military veterans, active service members and their families.”
The residency program stems from $8.2 million in funding received from OAA to implement a federal education initiative to assist in providing an adequate supply of health personnel to the Nation that can address military health concerns. The Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) is illustrative of the VA commitment to fostering relationship between VA facilities and schools of nursing to leverage academic expertise and VA clinical resources. The College and the Miami VA Healthcare System were awarded VANAP in 2014, which it has rolled out in two phases.
The first phase involved creating a baccalaureate nursing curriculum addressing military-specific health issues and conditions. These include, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), suicide and other mental health issues, chemical exposure, major traumatic limb loss and rehabilitation. The PBNR represents the second phase, in which nurse training, recruitment and retention for the VA system are the primary objectives.
The residency program is open to Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates who have obtained their Registered Nurse license and selected to receive the OAA training administered at the Miami VA in collaboration with FIU. Residents will continue their practical training alongside Miami VA staff to gain extensive experience providing care solely to the veteran population as they make the transition from student to working nurse. Five FIU Nursing residents are currently in the PBNR, with another 100 students and 20 nurse residents expected to exclusively rotate through the VANAP program over the next five years.
“The complexities of caring for military patients and veterans are like no other in the health care system, which makes specialty training programs like the PBNR all the more essential,” said Marcia Lysaght, Associate Director of Patient Care Services at the Miami VA. “Partnering with FIU Nursing reflects a shared commitment to elevate the quality of care to this unique patient population and train a specialized workforce for the future of our VA hospitals.”
About the FIU Nicole Wertheim College Nursing & Health Sciences
Established in 1982, the School of Nursing at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida was elevated to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences when it joined with the School of Health Sciences in October 2006. It was renamed as the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences in September 2013.The College is the second-largest producer of nursing professionals in the state, offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, baccalaureate completion and specialty programs in nursing education, including the nation’s first, and award-winning, Foreign-Educated Physician to Nursing program. The College also offers a bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration, entry-level master’s degrees in Athletic Training, Speech-Language Pathology and Occupational Therapy, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy. The College’s Graduate Nursing program is ranked No. 54 in the 2016 U.S. News and World Report 2016 Best Graduate Schools listing.
About the Miami VA Healthcare System:
The Miami VA Healthcare System serves approximately 57,000 Veterans in three South Florida counties: Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe. The Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center is located in downtown Miami and is also responsible for two major satellite Outpatient Clinics located in Sunrise (Broward County) and Key West (Monroe County), five Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Homestead (Miami-Dade); Key Largo (Monroe); Pembroke Pines, Hollywood and Deerfield Beach (Broward). The Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Center is located about one mile from the medical center. The Miami VA Healthcare System offers a full complement of primary care, specialty care and mental health services to Veterans of eras and conflicts. To learn more about the Miami VA serves the Veterans of South Florida, visit www.miami.va.gov.
