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Meet the 2025 VA Student Trainee Experience Program (VA-STEP) Graduates

Six nursing students with their certificates after graduating from the VA STEP program.

By Brittany Dibanda, Acting public affairs specialist

OMAHA, Neb. – Six nursing students graduated on Aug. 4 from the Omaha VA Medical Center’s Student Trainee Experience Program (VA-STEP) after committing to 400 hours over the summer.

VA-STEP is a national, highly competitive summer training program designed for nursing students between their junior and senior years pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Participants commit to 400 hours over the summer, working full time under a dedicated registered nurse (RN) preceptor at a VA medical center. Students gain hands-on experiences in specialties such as medical-surgical, the intensive care unit, the operating room, emergency department and mental health department.

This year’s VA-STEP graduates are:

(from left to right) – 

  • Brenna Stockton,
  • Kamryn McKibben,
  • Rachel Hunter,
  • Madeleine Thornock,
  • Morgan Scholl,
  • Megan Hollis.

According to Robert Laws, Nurse Educator and program coordinator at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System (NWIHCS), The VA-STEP program provides students with an introduction to most areas of the hospital where nurses provide care to Veterans. 

“Our mission at the VA is to provide the greatest medical care possible to the Veterans. Nurses are a foundational key to this care, and we appreciate the outstanding training that the colleges provide to create our future nurses.”

Laws, a 20-year Air Force Veteran, has been an RN at the Omaha VA Medical Center since 2008 and the VA-Step Coordinator since 2014. He adds “Together we can guide these students to become amazing new nurses.”

According to the graduates, the summer-long program gave them a clear path forward and  confidence to finish their last year of nursing school.

“It was amazing and rewarding to work and serve with the Veterans,” said Madeline Thornock, a Creighton University nursing student who is grateful for the opportunity to enhance her nursing skills while giving back to the Veteran community. 

Kamryn McKibben, a Creighton nursing student from Kansas City, MO, mirrored that sentiment.  

“I chose nursing because I have a passion for helping those in their most vulnerable moments. I chose VA-STEP because I have a passion for giving back to those who put their lives on the line for us while working with my nursing skills,” said McKibben, who will be graduating with a BSN in May 2026. 

Rachel Hunter, a University of Nebraska Medical Center nursing student, said, “This program provides invaluable opportunities to strengthen my clinical skills while allowing me to serve those that honorably served our country.” The “hands-on practice” she received has enabled her to be “more equipped to take the next step” in her career. 

All six nursing students expressed gratitude for the VA-STEP opportunity and thanked the leadership at the Omaha VA, as well as their nursing preceptors. The students recommended this program to all nursing students around the Omaha area.

In the words of McKibben, “(This program) is more than just an internship, it helped me connect with the real heart of nursing.”

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/