Employer: Jesse Brown VA Hospital
Job Title: VALOR Nurse Internship Program
Additional Information: https://va-ams-info.intelliworxit.com/valor/
VALOR
For more than 20 years, the VA has offered this exciting, year-long clinical residency for BSN students between their junior and senior years. VALOR is designed to increase participants’ clinical skills, clinical judgment, and critical thinking while caring for our nation’s Veterans. This program provides opportunities for learning including didactic or classroom experiences and clinical practice with a qualified RN (Registered Nurse) preceptor. Students recruited for the program must have completed the final semester or quarter of the junior year in an accredited baccalaureate nursing program. Students are appointed during the summer months for 400 hours. This experience may continue during their senior academic year on a part-time basis to no more than 800 hours.
Program Overview
The VALOR program at begins with ten weeks of paid, full-time work during the summer months (June – August). Applicants should be available to work 40 hours per week during this time.
The summer program includes:
- New Nurse Orientation
- Clinical practice with a preceptor on an assigned unit
- Opportunities to rotate to other units/specialties for observation experiences
- Other planned educational experiences
After completing the initial ten weeks of full-time work, VALOR students may continue to work through the academic year, until graduation.
Program Eligibility
Eligible students will:
- Be currently enrolled in an accredited BSN program;
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, with no grade lower than a B in any nursing course;
- Have completed the final semester/quarter of junior year prior to the program start date;
- Be eligible to graduate by the following June;
- Have had at least one clinical experience in a medical center or hospital;
- Be a U.S. Citizen;
- Provide documentation of immunization status and current Health Care Provider BLS training;
- Submit all application materials by the deadline;
- Not have a service obligation to any Federal, state, or private institution or be a recipient of any Federal scholarship that incurs a service obligation;
- Be able to work full-time during the summer months and part-time during the academic year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are VALOR students paid?
Yes. VALOR students are paid as hourly, intermittent employees. VALOR students are not eligible for overtime pay, holiday pay, or shift differentials. The rate of pay changes each year.
Can VALOR students choose the unit where they work?
No. VALOR students may express a preference for a unit, but they will be placed according to preceptor availability and unit needs. VALOR students may rotate to other units for observational experiences.
I am in an accelerated BSN program. Can I apply for the VALOR program?
Students in an accelerated BSN program can apply for the VALOR program IF they meet the program requirements and are available to work full time from June – August of the program start year.
How can I make my application competitive?
First, assure you have submitted all the required materials. Seek recommendations from faculty or instructors who will give positive feedback about your performance in nursing school. Assure your resume reflects not only your clinical and health care experience, but also other paid employment, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities.
Application Package Submission
The application process requires the student applicant to complete an online application which includes the submission of these requirements:
- Application (Completed by student applicant)
- Academic Verification (Completed by Dean of Program or equivalent)
- Evaluations and Recommendations:
- Required: Academic Faculty
- Required: Either an Employer/Manager or Other
- (VA Employee) Required: Supervisor
- Resume
- Transcript
- DD214 (current and former service members)
- SF50 (current and former VA employees)
On June 5th, 2020, the Veterans Administration launched a new Application Management System (VA AMS) in order to facilitate the application submission process for students. The VA AMS enables students to provide the required data and documents for the successful submission of the scholarship application package.
The application package includes two requirements that are completed by outside parties other than the student applicant. These are the Academic Verification and Evaluation/Recommendations.
The Academic Verification is completed by the Dean (or equivalent) of the academic program associated with the scholarship. The Evaluation and Recommendations are completed by academic and personal/professional references of the student applicant. The VA AMS is also used by these parties to submit the necessary requirements.
Application Package Review
Once the application package has been submitted by the student applicant, it is reviewed within ten days by the VA Scholarship Program Office to confirm all of the required information and requirements have been provided. In instances when the package is incomplete, the student applicant is notified and is requested to address the deficiencies.
Application Package Evaluation
After the VA Scholarship Program Office confirms that the application package is complete, the application package is evaluated by the Scholarship Program Selection Committee specific to your field of education. The members of the Selection Committee evaluate the student applicant’s academic and professional details, as well as the essay responses that are part of the application package. The Selection Committee members also review the academic and personal/professional references that are part of the application package.
The Selection Committee evaluation is usually completed within 30 days of the submission of the complete application package.
Scholarship Award Decision
The VA Scholarship Program Office makes scholarship award decisions after the Selection Committee has completed its evaluation of the application package. The award decisions are based upon the following criteria:
- Veteran status of the applicant (being a Veteran is not required)
- Selection Committee evaluation and recommendation
- Total cost to fund the scholarship
The application package of each student scholarship candidate is compared against the submissions of the other student candidates. The VA Scholarship Program Office will usually make an award decision within 90 days of the submission of a complete application package.
Tentative Scholarship Award Notification and Acceptance
Student applicants are notified immediately after the scholarship award decision has been completed. Students that have been awarded the scholarship are required to formally accept the award in order to complete the application process. Student applicants that have been awarded the VA scholarship are initially offered a tentative scholarship award. The student applicant must complete a security background check.
Selected student applicants have 15 days to accept or decline the tentative scholarship award.
Security Background Check
Applicants must pass and maintain a background investigation commensurate with the VA occupation for which the scholarship is being offered. If selected to receive the scholarship, the student applicant will be contacted by the VA Security Office with requirements to complete the investigation. A complete investigation is required prior to the final scholarship offer.
Final Scholarship Award Notification and Acceptance
Once the background check is complete, the student applicants will receive their final scholarship award offer. The student applicant must accept the final award offer and agreement forms in order to complete their enrollment in the VA scholarship program. Accepting the final award offer includes the acceptance of the terms of the scholarship program. These terms include the service obligation to the VA after the completion of their academic program and professional licensing.
The acceptance of the formal scholarship award is a contract between the VA and the student applicant. A breach of the contract will enact penalties against the student.
Selected student applicants have 15 days to accept or decline the final scholarship award.
The student applicant is officially enrolled in the VA scholarship program once the final scholarship award is accepted and the scholarship agreement forms are completed.
