VA Healthcare: Magnetism Forces and Nursing Workforce Development
This paper evaluates the Department of Veterans Affairs using the Fourteen Forces of Magnetism framework developed by Bliss-Holtz, Winter, Scherer, and Elaine (2004). The VA, as the nation's largest healthcare provider with 155 medical centers and over 59,000 nursing staff nationwide, maintains structures designed to recruit, retain, and support qualified healthcare professionals. The analysis examines each of the fourteen forces—from nursing leadership and organizational structure to professional development and interdisciplinary relationships—assessing the VA's current alignment with magnetism standards. Findings indicate that despite historical resource constraints and rising patient demand, the VA nursing service has successfully implemented magnetism principles and maintains quality standards comparable to or exceeding civilian healthcare facilities.
- Overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs: VA location, size, history, image challenges, and nursing workforce structure
- The Fourteen Forces of Magnetism in the VA: Analysis of all fourteen magnetism forces against current VA nursing practices
- Identified Strengths and Weaknesses: Resource constraints balanced against nursing service commitment to magnetism framework
- Conclusion: VA is well-positioned for workforce recruitment, retention, and nursing excellence
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses a recognized organizational framework (the Fourteen Forces of Magnetism) to systematically assess a complex healthcare institution, lending credibility and structure to the analysis.
- Grounds abstract concepts in concrete VA data: specific facility counts (155 medical centers, 1,400 clinics), workforce numbers (59,000+ nurses), and historical context (established 1930).
- Directly addresses the tension between organizational mission and resource constraints, acknowledging that the VA faces genuine challenges while demonstrating commitment to quality standards.
- Incorporates direct quotations from VA organizational documents to support claims about professional practice models, quality improvement initiatives, and nursing development programs.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper applies a diagnostic framework (Fourteen Forces of Magnetism) to analyze whether an organization meets established standards for workforce development and professional nursing practice. Rather than merely describing the VA, the author evaluates each force against actual VA policies and programs, creating a point-by-point alignment assessment. This technique moves beyond descriptive reporting toward evaluative analysis.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a classical structure: overview of the subject organization (location, size, age, history, image, configuration); systematic analysis using the external framework (Forces 1–14); strengths-and-weaknesses synthesis; and conclusion restating the central finding. The middle section is the largest and most detailed, allowing each force to anchor specific claims about VA nursing practice. Transitions between sections are explicit, making the argument flow clear.
Overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs
As the nation's largest healthcare provider, the Department of Veterans Affairs has the mandated responsibility of caring for "those who shall have borne the battle, their widows and orphans." This paper provides an analysis of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) using the "Fourteen Forces of Magnetism" developed by Bliss-Holtz, Winter, Scherer, and Elaine (2004) as a framework for assessing whether the organization has structures in place for recruitment, retention, and support of a qualified workforce and to support the professional practice of nursing.
Location
The VA maintains healthcare facilities in the form of 155 medical centers (at least one in each state), 1,400 outpatient clinics, and 209 so-called "Vet Centers" across the country and in Puerto Rico. Approximately 70 million people—or a quarter of the U.S. population—are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services based on their active military service or because they are family members or survivors of veterans.
Size
Today, the VA is responsible for maintaining the largest medical education and health professions training program in the United States. VA facilities are affiliated with more than 100 medical schools, 55 dental schools, and more than 1,200 other educational institutions throughout America. Approximately 90,000 healthcare professionals are trained in VA medical centers each year; in fact, over half of the physicians currently practicing in the United States received some of their professional education within the VA healthcare system.
Age and History
Congress established the U.S. Veterans Bureau in 1921 following the end of World War I. The current VA was originally established by Executive Order 5398, signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 21, 1930, to consolidate these services. At the time of its creation in 1930, the VA had 54 hospitals. According to the organization's fact sheet, "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was established on March 15, 1989, succeeding the Veterans Administration. It is responsible for providing federal benefits to veterans and their families. Headed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, VA is the second largest of the 15 Cabinet departments and operates nationwide programs for health care, financial assistance and burial benefits."
The VA's motto—"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan"—is taken from President Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, which also appears on the west wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Image and Public Perception
One of the most pressing issues facing the VA today is its longstanding image as an inferior provider of healthcare services. The organization's poor image has been highlighted in popular culture and media depictions that parody the VA's performance. Scandals ranging from malfeasance to gross malpractice by various healthcare providers have rocked the organization over the years, contributing to public perception challenges.
Nursing Workforce Configuration
Nurses in the VA system are employed in every healthcare setting, including medical centers, outpatient clinics, and Vet Centers where appropriate. According to the VA's Office of Nursing Service, the VA has one of the largest nursing staffs of any healthcare system in the world today. Numbering more than 59,000 nationwide, the VA nursing team—composed of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, vocational nurses, and nursing assistants—provides comprehensive, complex, and compassionate care to the nation's veterans. VA nurses work in medical centers, outpatient clinics, nursing home units, and home-based primary care programs throughout the country.
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