The United States Military and Veterans Administration Health Systems Paper

Complete this week’s assigned readings, chapters 39-43. After completing the readings, post a short reflection, approximately 1 paragraph, discussing your thoughts, opinions, questions, or concerns about one or several specific topics covered in the textbook readings. Identify which MSN Essential most relates to your selected topic in your discussion.

As a reminder, no scholarly sources are required, and students do not have to reply to a classmate’s original post. This post does not have an end date, but please try to complete your post before next week’s discussion post is posted and due to avoid falling behind.

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CHAPTER 39

The United States Military and Veterans Administration Health Systems Paper

Contemporary Overview and Policy Challenges

John S. Murray

“No one who fights for this country should ever have to fight for a job, or a roof over their head, or the care that they have earned.”

President Barack Obama

The U.S. Military Health System (MHS) provides several important healthcare services to 8.3 million service members, military retirees, and their families (Murray & Chaffee, 2011; The Kaiser Foundation, 2012).

Military health care is provided by approximately 140,000 military, civilian, and contract personnel working around the globe at 59 military treatment facilities (MTFs) capable of providing diagnostic, therapeutic, and inpatient care. Additionally, care is delivered at hundreds of military outpatient clinics and by pri­vate sector civilian providers (Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2012; Murray & Chaffee, 2011).

Military nursing consists of several components: active duty, reserve, National Guard, enlisted medical technicians, and federal civilian registered nurses. The Army Nurse Corps comprises 40,000 nursing team members, whereas the Air Force has 18,000 and the Navy approximately 5,800 (U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, 2012). Active duty military nurses in all armed forces must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited school to serve in the military.

The MHS has two missions (Figure 39-1):

• A military readiness mission: supporting war­time and other deployments (GAO, 2012; Murray & Chaffee, 2011).
• A health care benefits mission: providing medical services and support to members of the armed forces, retirees, and their dependents (GAO, 2012; Murray & Chaffee, 2011).

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is home to the United States’ largest integrated healthcare system, comprising 152 medical centers, nearly 1,400 community-based outpatient clinics, community living centers, Vet Centers, and residential homes for disabled veterans. More than 239,000 staff, including 53,000 licensed healthcare clinicians, work to provide comprehensive care to more than 8.3 million veterans each year at these facilities.

The VHA nursing team consists of 77,000 personnel nationwide, including registered nurses, licensed practical/vocational nurses, and nursing assistants. Of these, approximately 5440 are advanced practice nurses (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Practitioners, and Clinical Nurse Specialists). A BSN degree is not a requirement to work for the VHA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Nursing Services, 2010).

The VHA’s primary mission is to honor America’s veterans by providing exceptional comprehensive care that improves their health and well-being. It accomplishes this benchmark of excellence by providing exemplary services that are both patient-centered and evidence-based (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013a).

The United States Military and Veterans Administration Health Systems Paper