Care of veterans in a non-veteran health administration hospital: What is the status of nursing practice after continuing education?

Women Veterans' Descriptions of Interactions With Civilian Health Care Providers: A Qualitative Inquiry

Women veterans often obtain care for unique gender- and military-related health issues from civilian health care settings. There is a gap in the literature surrounding woman veterans' perspectives about the care they receive. The purpose of this study was to apply the Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior framework to study the patient-provider interaction described by women veterans. A qualitative descriptive methodology, using directed content analysis, was employed. Six themes were identified. Consistent screening, provider knowledge about service roles and experiences of women veterans, and familiarity with military-related health conditions support holistic care. Further research in this area is warranted.

Supporting nursing faculty to teach veteran's care: a mixed method, multi-intervention study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to (a) describe nurse educators' attitudes towards veterans after workshop participation, (b) evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop and timed digital interventions (TDI) on nurse educators' integration of veteran-centered content into their courses and curricula, and (c) describe nurse educators' experiences with transferring learning from the workshop to teaching practice.

METHODS

A longitudinal multi-intervention, multi-method pilot study was conducted using pre- and post-workshop surveys and interviews.

RESULTS

Twenty-six nurse faculty reported a neutral attitude toward working with veterans during the pre-workshop survey period. TDIs kept veteran-centered content fresh on faculty minds, yielding evidence of integration into nursing courses.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing faculty preparation and development is crucial to effectively integrate specific veteran care content into nursing education to ensure a competent and culturally sensitive workforce. Integrating TDIs using widely accessible technologies is a cost-effective way of increasing engagement with new information and bridge implementation gaps associated with traditional professional development activities.

Nursing leadership and influence in practice domains at a Veterans Affairs Health Care System

BACKGROUND

Studies in Veteran populations have examined disparities in health service use, care quality, outcomes and increased demands for behavioral health.

PURPOSE

The purpose is to describe the development of nursing leadership roles that influenced practice improvements and demonstrated outcomes related to health disparities in a Veterans Affairs (VA) population over a 12-year period.

METHODS

The Sundean and colleagues' concept analysis of nurse leadership influence was applied to frame the initiative process and impacts.

DISCUSSION

Antecedents and processes that facilitated leadership development included mentorship, disparities expertise, partnerships, consultation, scholarship, dissemination, advocacy, education, and strong coauthor collaboration. Improvements and outcomes included access to services, improved health indicators, tools, workforce, funding, innovations, and nurse investigator studies, consistent with VA priorities and policy related to disparities and equity. Limitations and barriers were addressed.

CONCLUSION

This initiative models' strategies to increase nurse leadership in health equity and care transformation in health systems and community practices.

Veteran-to-Veteran Program

More Veterans are receiving health care outside of the Veterans Health Administration. Over concern for the Veteran's safety and the provider's competency, three progressive steps have been taken within the state of West Virginia. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(11):493-495.