VA's New "Travel Nurse Program" Hits the Road

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VA's New "Travel Nurse Program" Hits the Road

Program Offsets Personnel Losses, Improves Quality

WASHINGTON -- To deal with a nationwide shortage of nurses and to improve
the quality of care for veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
has created a "Travel Nurse Corps" to enable VA nurses to travel and work
throughout the Department's medical system.

"VA is committed to putting health care facilities closer to veterans," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "The Travel Nurse Corps
will make it easier to bring our world-class health care professionals
closer to veterans, too. And it will make it easier for us to shift
personnel during times of crisis."

The Travel Nurse Corps, headquartered at the Phoenix VA Health Care System,
is beginning as a three-year pilot program. Initially, it will place as
many as 75 nurses at VA medical centers across the country. The goals of
the program are to improve recruitment, decrease turnover of experienced
nurses and maintain high standards of patient care.

Under the program, participating nurses may be temporarily assigned to
distant medical centers and clinics to help nursing staffs that have
vacancies, to reduce wait times or the reliance upon contractors, or to
maintain high-skill services and procedures.

On February 20, the Department announced plans to create a Rural Health Care
Advisory Committee to enhance VA services to veterans in rural areas. The
Travel Nurse Corps will work with this national VA panel to support VA
health care in rural areas.

"Those who join the VA Travel Nurse Corps will become key members of a
talented group of professionals who are dedicated to providing the best care
possible to our nation's veterans," said Cathy Rick, R.N., VA's chief
nursing officer. "The program helps VA medical facilities address
supplemental staffing needs while also ensuring there is a continued
commitment to quality and safety."

Those who become VA travel nurses are compensated for their time on duty and
their travel. They also receive standard government per diem allowances,
which include lodging, meals and incidentals.

"This program is competitive with the private sector. VA has
state-of-the- art facilities, high-tech computer systems and professional
colleagues second to none," said Jacqueline Jackson, Travel Nurse Corps
director at the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

The program is also designed to establish a potential pool for national
emergencies and serve as a model for an expanded VA travel corps with nurses
who have varying specialties. The program is designed to reduce the use of
contracted nurses, thus preserving resources that can be used elsewhere to
care for veterans.

To learn more about VA's Travel Nurse Corps, visit the Web site at
www.travelnurse. va.gov, email travelnurse@ va.gov or call toll free at (866)
664-1030 or in Phoenix at (602) 200-239

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SOURCE: VA News Release at
http://www1. va.gov/opa/ pressrel/ pressrelease. cfm?id=1466

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