The Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs: purpose, membership, and benefits

Nursing Organization

The Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (NOVA)

Purpose, Mission and Vision

NOVA exists to fulfill a very important function in the United States: Providing healthcare services to the nation's war veterans. To be able to do this, the organization's mission is to "shape and influence healthcare in the Department of Verterans Affairs (NOVA Foundation, 2012).

NOVA's vision has six components:

To provide high quality nursing care.

To provide nurses with an optimal work environment.

To keep nurses informed on relevant issues regarding VA health care and nursing.

To create opportunities for VA nurses to function at the leadership level.

To recruit all VA nurses for NOVA membership.

Advantages of Membership

The most obvious benefit of membership is the ability to connect with other members, who can offer support for specific challenges related to the professions. This opportunity to work with others also strengthens the ability of the VA nurse to provide a high level of quality in the care provided to the nation's veterans.

Members also get the following advantages:

Lobbying power with political and social organizations.

Annual and regional meetings, where contact can be made with others in the profession to gain ideas and support.

Access to Nova News in order to help keep up with the latest in the world of Veterans Affairs and nursing.

The latest news can also be accessed at www.vanurse.org.

Long-term disability insurance.

Next Meeting

The next NOVA meeting will be held on 10 October, and the topic of discussion will be how we can adjust our nursing practice effectively to best meet the needs of our clients. A VA nurse, for example, is not required only to handle the challenges faced by aging veterans, but also by those who have recently returned from the battlefield and may be suffering from both psychological and physical distress. We hope to welcome many new members and share interesting and useful ideas.