Improving Veteran Care Through a Clinical/Academic Partnership: An Overview of the Tampa VA Nursing Academy

In 2008, the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (JAHVH) and the University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing were designated as a site for a new Veterans Affairs (VA) Nursing Academy (VANA) initiative “Enhancing Academic Partnerships Program” with aims of expanding teaching faculty, improving recruitment and retention, supporting the direct care nurse (DCN) through evidence-based practice projects, and creating new educational and research opportunities for VA nurses.1