Overview of the VA St. Louis Health Care System

The St. Louis VA Health Care System (VASTLHCS) has two divisions. The John Cochran Division is located at 915 North Grand Blvd.; St. Louis, MO 63106. The Jefferson Barracks Division is located at #1 Jefferson Barracks Drive, St. Louis, MO 63125. There are also several off-division primary and specialty care clinics and outpatient centers in the St. Louis metropolitan area, as well as the Hope Recovery Center which provides housing, job, and mental health programs to veterans.

The St. Louis VAMC is a full-service health care facility providing inpatient and ambulatory care in medicine, surgery, psychiatry, neurology, and rehabilitation, as well as over 65 subspecialty areas. It serves veterans and their families in east central Missouri and southwestern Illinois.

The John Cochran Division has all the medical center's operative surgical capabilities, the ambulatory care unit, and a six-story Clinical Addition that includes surgical facilities, intensive care units, outpatient psychiatry clinics, and expanded laboratory.

The Jefferson Barracks Division provides primary care, psychiatric treatment, regional spinal cord injury treatment, a community living center (nursing home care unit), geriatric health care, rehabilitation services, and a rehabilitation domiciliary program for homeless veterans. The St. Louis VA Medical Center Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) are in Shiloh, IL; O'Fallon, MO (St. Charles County); St. Louis, MO (North St. Louis County); and Washington, MO.

The academic affiliate is University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Nursing, a program fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and fully approved the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Overview of the VASTLHCS PBRN-R Program

• The program has three phases:
  • Phase 1 focuses on developing initial competencies on home unit
  • Phase 2 focuses on learning about the VA system with rotations in a variety of clinical areas
  • Phase 3 focuses on honing clinical care provision, leadership development, and professional development
• Primary preceptor assigned for the twelve-month program. Work within the preceptor’s assignment as you develop your professional practice.
• Clinical experiences and rotations allow you to learn about the breadth of care provided at the VA.
• The 12-month curriculum, based on CCNE RN Residency Program objectives, incorporates simulation, reflective practice, and other teaching modalities. Topics include but are not limited to evidence-based practice; person-centered care; delegation; Veteran-specific issues; quality and safety and personal, professional, and leadership development.
• Learn and share experiences with other new graduate nurses.
• Learn about the VA Health Care System while building competency and confidence as a registered nurse.

Benefits include:

• 100% Protected Time (not in staffing)
• Paid internship
• Health and life insurance benefits offered
• All Federal holidays off and paid (Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, and Labor Day)
• Earn of 4 hours of annual leave and 4 hours of sick leave per pay period.

For more information visit: Nursing Education - Office of Academic Affiliations (va.gov)