NURSING - VA Research
Office of Nursing Services Research
Improving the Health of Veterans through Research
Mission: Build capacity for high-quality interprofessional research that informs evidence-based practice to improve the health and well-being of Veterans.
Resources
- The Veterans Health Administration Resident Competency Assessment (VHA RCA) is a tool to measure nurse competency for new graduate Registered Nurses (NGRNs) participating in entry-to-practice residency programs to transition from nursing education to applied nursing practice at the bedside. Veterans Health Administration Resident Competency Assessment (VHA RCA) Tool Instruction Guide (PDF)
- Journal of Nursing Quality Care: Assessing Nurse Competency in the Veterans Health Administration Registered Nurse Transition-to- Practice Residency Program*
- MANUSCRIPT - RCA Psychometric Analysis Blinded
Leadership
Catherine Battaglia, PhD RN, FAAN
ONS Facilitator
Acting - Director of Research, Evidence-based Practice, and Analytics (REA)/Nurse Scientist
Washington, DC
Email
Nursing Research Field Advisory Committee (NRFAC)
Purpose/Mission: Promotion of VA Nurse Scientists’ capacity to conduct high quality research that generates new knowledge and informs practice to improve the health and well-being of Veterans, their families, and caregivers.
Lynn M. Baniak PhD, RN
NRFAC Chair
Associate Chief Nurse for Research
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Email
Qiyan (Chi-Yan) Mu, PhD, RN
NRFAC Chair-Elect
Nurse Scientist, Clement J. Zablocki
VA Medical Center
Email
See - Nursing Research Field Advisory Committee (NRFAC) Members list.
VA Career and Research Funding
Nurse Scientists are nursing professionals with a research-focused doctorate who conduct scientific investigations on a variety of topics, including patient care, nursing-related needs, disease progression, population health, and more. They can advance their careers by applying for VA or other U.S. government-funded career development and merit awards, such as VA Career Development Awards (CDAs) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K- and R-series grants.
Nurse Scientists lead research capacity building at the local, regional, and national level, enhancing the VHA healthcare facilities' impact across all three. The evidence generated by Nurse Scientists can be implemented at their local facility and easily shared across the VISN and nationally, benefiting other facilities that lack nurse scientists.
Additionally, because most VA research offices collaborate with nonprofit organizations that manage research projects, VA Nurse Scientists can seek research funding from private foundations as well. With the support of national VA nursing leadership, Nurse Scientists represent a growing workforce in VA research, with ongoing efforts to increase funding and expand opportunities for those aiming to advance nursing science for Veterans and beyond.
