Learning Needs

Learning Needs

Educational assessment and analysis of m y place of employment

The institution I work is Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and it an institution with diverse and dynamic character in healthcare leaders and professionals whose vision is to champion the strategies of care for realization of sustainable and the highest standard of wellness and health.

Mission

Provide general direction and strategic guidelines to all practices of practice nursing across the whole dimensions of care delivery that assist Veterans.


History of the Veterans Health Administration

In 1921 soon after the end of World War I, the was establishment of United States Veteran Bureau by Congress and  the Veteran Bureau became the umbrella of Public Health Service  and hospitals and this accelerated the  establishment of  the Veterans Administration  in 1930 to coordinate and facilitate all government duties  that have an impact to war Veterans and about  2,500 registered nurses were employed in Veteran Administration nursing service, and up to now these nurses are currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with their reserve units.


In the 1950, the administration expanded its influence to schools of nursing and this accelerated steady production growth in the number of nurses that received experience in clinical profession and in Veteran Administration medical centers and, thus, aiding recruitment and Education and research became integral components of Veteran Administration Nursing Service. In the 1970s, practicing  nurses  were appointed to be  primary providers  in patient care, and their specialization in clinical medicine  was elevated, and their role expanded  Veteran Administration nurses met the new challenges and continued to  deliver their medical caring approaches  with dedication  irrespective of consistent dynamics in health care.

In May 2002, the top office in charge of Nursing Services was structured and elevated, and it was made liable to the health Secretary in the Veterans Health Administration, and during that time there was the formation of National Commission to work in the field of field hearings and gathering of facts.  Also in 2003, Executive positions of nurses in all centers of medical services were endorsed to be the top Management team members. Up to now Veteran Administration is continuously gaining recognition because of their quality care and commitment in delivering excellent nursing service.


Type of nursing care or service provided

Veteran Administration plays four major roles; Clinical role, advanced practice supervisory or administrative and consultative and that advanced practice  includes nurses specialized in clinic, practicing nurses, registered certified nurses and all these nurses falls under the category of practicing advanced nurses.


Consultation roles have come up in areas like control of infection, informatics, research, community health and education, and finally VA nurses function as administrators in that it provides   advancement in leadership, evaluation and resource allocation. Veteran Administration  nurse researchers receives funding from various donor agencies   for the purposes of carrying out research  related to  nursing care  to enhances delivery of nursing services to  Veterans and their partnerships with academic affiliates contribute to research and education thus  significant innovative   patient care services were realized.

Veteran Administration  nursing  employs  current technology to  enhance  distance learning programs to Veteran Administration  nurses across the nation  and in times of emergencies, VA nurses are  required to be part of the team in charge of the interdisciplinary,  health care provision, military hospitals back up,  local assistant coordinator  and agency 0of emergency in  regional and national levels.


Volume of activity of the institution

Veteran Administration Nursing is a crucial network of professionals contributing to Veterans Health Administration’s vision, which is the benchmark of excellence in patient-centered care, and it maintains strong linkage locally, regionally and nationally. It is expected to e carry out highly standard work effectively.

Veteran Health Administration provides health care to more than 6 million Veterans throughout the United States and their medical budget of $47 billion. It has employed more than 245,000 health care personnel in more than 1,609 centers of health care such as hospitals, community, clinics and nursing homes, domiciliary, readjustment counseling centers, and various other facilities. Their mission was realized through implementation of their Strategic Plan and transformative Initiatives which reflect Veteran Administration goals and transformative initiatives.


Levels of nursing care staff employed

Veteran Administration  medical system  faced with patient needs  during the Vietnam war  as it was that different from those of previous wars in that nurses were forced  to care for disabled  on a larger scale due as a result of  increased efficiency  in which  the  wounded Veterans were transported  from the battlefield and treated and also  VA nurses  once again saw  new types of poly-trauma injuries during Iraq war and helping Veterans faced  new challenges  such as specialized expertise, creativity and compassion, and as a result of this, Practitioners in nursing were to be appointed  to play the role of  primary providers of patient care and that their role was expanded, and VA nurses continued to respond with competent caring approaches despite   constant changes in health care.


Also to salvage the challenges facing nurse, the office of Nursing Services organization was elevated through a bill that created the National Commission on VA Nursing and it started to report directly to Secretary for Health in the Veterans Health Administration. The bill outlined legislative and organizational and policy changes to facilitate the recruitment and retention of clinical nurses and other relevant personnel in the nursing Department as a way of addressing challenges facing nurses.

The bill also recommended legislative, policy, and organizational changes in the aspects of Leadership, Development in the profession, Working Environment, Respect fair, Recognition, technology Compensation, Research and Innovation and Veteran Administration Nursing Service had to implemented programmes to accomplish stated   recommendations.

Due to shortages of nurse’s nurse executive position for all centers of medical services were endorsed by the Veteran Health Administration National Board in charge of leadership full members to the top Management team.


Results summary of analysis of assessment of educational needs

Selected sample

The sample group is Veteran Health Administration National Leadership Board – which is the Health Systems Committee and this sample was aimed at providing periodic updates to ensure proper linkage with other Veteran Health Administration initiatives.


Methods of data collection

The methods of data collection that were adopted were face to face interactions with the chief nursing officer, conducting of conferences and presentation of reports in power point  and exchange of mails

The highest priority educational need

The highest education priority need is the provision of periodic updates to ensure proper linkage with other veteran health administration initiatives in that it was suppose to be conducted weekly via conferences and quarterly face-to-face meetings.


Forces in favor or against responding to educational need

Forces against educational needs

Challenges facing educational needs are inadequacy updates about pertinent programs, responses to requests of periodic reports, pertinent programs, and facility operations, updates that enhance proper linkage with other VHA initiatives and ensure linkage and coordination with overlapping VHA initiatives, provision of status updates concerning completion of major program tasks and solicit feedback.

Other challenges are poor understanding of national nursing programs and policies, poor collaboration and maintenance of bidirectional communication.


Factors in favor of educational needs

Existence organizational structure consisting expertise teams with a portfolio of targeted assignments in implementation of the national nursing strategic plan in that the distribution of assignments   in that the structure will be changed to best strategically alignment to suit the dynamism.

Existence of external interest such as veterans with their respective organizations, health professional organizations, academic, labor partner organizations, accrediting bodies and the community facilitate the exchange of information thus enhancing progress of nursing in the veteran administration.


Availability of stakeholders necessitates the need for the provision of documents containing records of activities that should be undertaken for purposes of keeping decision makers, other interested parties and   all stakeholders apprised of progress updates and s programs updates that are relevant to their and also stakeholders are an important source of relevant information that might enhance the success of veteran administration.

Opportunities to collaborate with other disciplines and administrators will assist to identify incentives for patient care excellence such as promotion of interdisciplinary planning. National policy development standardization, elimination of barriers interfering with the development of interdisciplinary teamwork, identification of opportunities for nurses to contribute to the Veteran Health Administration integrated system of care

Regulatory drivers and mandates will help in the provision of guiding tools and resources to facilitate the Veteran Administration nursing population in understanding the requirements and standards and that every nurse will have the opportunity of advancing her or his practice within Veteran Administration.


The next step within the institution to respond to the educational needs

The need for the provision of periodic updates to ensure proper linkage with other VHA initiatives which should be conducted on Weekly conference calls and quarterly face-to-face meetings necessitates the incorporation of the   Chief Nursing Officer to offer those services thus the existing structure of the organization should be structured to accommodate the expected changes.


References

Yano (2007). The Evolution of Changes in Primary Care Delivery Underlying the Veterans Health Administration’s Quality.

Ashton, Headley, Parrino, Starfield,  (1995). Primary Care in VA. Boston: Management decision and Research Center. Washington, Department of Veterans Affairs.

Kizer. (2003). Effects of the Transformation of the Veterans Affairs Health Care System on the Quality of Care.





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