Four Nursing Students Graduate from VA summer enrichment program

VA-STEP is a highly competitive program designed to give nursing students who are pursuing their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of nursing fields while working in a VA Medical Center hospital environment.  While participating in the program, the four nursing students rotated through various Omaha VAMC hospital units including the intensive care unit, the operating room, cardiac care, emergency department and psychiatric ward where they worked closely with experienced VA nurses and healthcare professionals.

This year’s VA-STEP graduates are:

(from left to right)

• Olivia Ball,
• Avyrie Hamstra, 
• Alexis Acheampong,
• Olivia Manning.

According to Dr. Tysa Ferguson, VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System associate director for Patient Care, VA-STEP is designed to give nursing students an opportunity to learn and test new skills while working with Veterans and helping the Department of Veterans Affairs perform its important mission.

“I’ve always said that (Veterans) are the most appreciative and caring population that you will ever take of care,” said Ferguson, the daughter of a VA nurse who first began serving Veterans when she volunteered at the Grand Island VA Medical Center while still in high school. “Not being a Veteran myself, it’s my way of giving back. And at the end of the day, you really gain a sense of reward and accomplishment when you work with Veterans.”

Ferguson said she hopes the STEP graduates had a similar experience. 

“I’m really honored that you were able to be here and feel that mission,” Ferguson told the nursing students. “I hope you had that experience during your rotations and your experiences with Veterans.”

According to the graduates, the summer-long program provided numerous unforgettable moments.

“(Accepting the offer to be part of the program) turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made,” said Alexis Acheampong, a Creighton University nursing student who grew up in a military family that served in numerous locations such as Germany, Kansas and Virginia. “I definitely didn’t know what to expect… (but) I can say that my expectations were far exceeded.”

Acheampong said working next to experienced nurses who mentored her on a daily basis while also encouraging her to refine her skills in various clinical settings was invaluable. “I had an opportunity to improve in all areas of being a nursing student such as clinical judgement, critical thinking (and) learning and improving clinical skills,” she said. And working with Veterans; that’s something Acheampong said she will never forget. 

“Every workday brought something new,” Acheampong said. “In the morning walking into this VA, I was always greeted by a Veteran.”

“I learned that nursing is not just about administering medications or performance,” she added. “It’s about providing comfort and compassion to those who have given so much.”

Avyrie Hamstra, a nursing student from Missouri Baptist University, echoed those comments.

“I knew that this was something that I was interested in,” said Hamstra, who also grew up in a military family, most recently having been stationed in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “(This program) really gave me a holistic view of what nursing is.”

Hamstra said that included working in multiple rotations across the hospital setting and working under “amazing” nurses who pushed her when she needed it to gain and refine the skills she’s been learning in school. She added that she now better understands and appreciates the quality of care that Veterans receive through the VA. 

Like Hamstra, Olivia Ball, a University of Nebraska Medical Center nursing student, said VA STEP provided her an “amazing” opportunity to take recently learned skills and put them to the test safely in real world environments throughout the Omaha VA Medical Center hospital. It was an eye-opening experience, she added, few nursing students ever receive.

“I would say that my favorite thing was probably just getting acclimated to the hospital setting,” Ball said, adding that working at the Omaha VA Medical Center was far different than the training she received while completing her recent clinicals at a civilian hospital in the Omaha area. “Here, you are getting paired with nurses who have come from other hospitals in the community (who have developed) tricks and tips that they are able to provide to you. They really do want to help you to grow and to succeed… and that’s really empowering.”

“The staff here is really special,” Ball added. “So many of the staff are Veterans themselves… you just see this new whole new level of care that I’m not sure that patients in other hospitals get. So, it’s really special.”

Olivia Manning agreed.

“I think that one of my favorite parts of working here was just the camaraderie and the community that they have,” said Manning, a Creighton University nursing student. “I am so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be a part of that.”

“I am also so grateful for how much I learned this summer and all the valuable experiences that helped me grow and become a better nursing student,” she said. “I feel so much more confident (and) comfortable with things…”

“I think we all came out of this better nurses,” Manning added. “And I’m just so glad that we got to do it here at the VA and serve our Veterans.”

All four nursing students further recommended the program to their peers, adding that the program leadership was particularly supportive in making the entire experience both educational and meaningful.

For more information about the VA-STEP program, check out the information at https://www.va.gov/nebraska-western-iowa-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/nursing-internships-and-valor-program/