Thelma Roach-Serry, BSN, RN, NE-BC

National NOVA Immediate Past President

Central Virginia VA HCS, Richmond, VA

NOVA Chapter 420 

Malliga Ravindar, DNP, RN

Dr. Malliga Ravindar has 35 years of nursing experience in various specialties and capacities of clinical nursing, nursing management and nursing education. She joined the VA in 2013 as a member of the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) team. She is profoundly passionate about providing exceptional care to our Veterans and is currently serving as a Nurse Educator for the Specialty Clinics at Central Virginia VA Health Care System (CVHCS). The specialties include both medical and surgical outpatient programs; from infectious disease and endocrinology to vascular surgery, wound care, urology, dermatology, interventional pain management and minor procedural care.

In May 2021, while continuing to work full time, Malliga obtained the highest degree in nursing – Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with an emphasis in Educational Leadership from the Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, Arizona.

Malliga’s professional career has been very challenging. After graduating with her BSN in 1986 and MSN in 1991; she paved the way for many accomplishments in nursing. She takes pride in sharing that she has been privileged to train more than 2000 nurses from the Christian Medical College and Hospital, a reputed Academic institution in India founded by an American medical missionary. She is honored to see nurses trained by her adeptly serving mankind throughout the world in various capacities, including those in outstanding leadership roles in the United States. During a three year special assignment, she also trained approximately 200 nursing students to become professional nurses for the country of the Sultanate of Oman. 

Malliga expressed during a recent interview that “she is very grateful that the United States has provided her with immense opportunities over the past 16 years”. She has served as a nurse manager at the University of Virginia Health Care System (UVAHS), adjunct faculty for Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, a bedside clinician in Neurology, Cardiology and Cardio Thoracic surgery, and a PACT care manager, as well as a Nurse Educator for the CVHCS in Richmond, Virginia. She has a very special zeal for higher standards of nursing care and looks forward to continuing to give her best to our great country by serving Veterans.

Dr. Ravindar, kudos for your contributions to the profession of nursing and achieving your DNP!

Marilyn Simpson, MSN/Ed, RN

West Texas VA Health Care System, Abilene, TX

NOVA Chapter 380

All of us have schedules and deadlines, either imposed upon us or are self-imposed. Let us review a few things that we are learning in Mindful Awareness classes.

• Do you skip family gatherings because they will understand how stressed you are?

• Have you postponed your favorite hobby because something had to give?

• How do you handle the pressure of knowing the buck stops with you?

• Does your blood pressure creep up by the end of the day because there is not enough time to get everything completed?

• Do you not take your paid time off because you believe no one in your department will do the work to your expectations?

• How are you sleeping?

• Do your friends and family complain you are grumpy a lot of the time?

• What would your neighbors say about your attitude lately?

• Do you ever completely fast from social media or screen time at home?

• Does your laptop live in the bag you keep with you at all times?

• If you had the choice, would you treat people differently?

I encourage you to take a deep breath. Right now, push back your chair. Breathe in deep and hold it. Give yourself a full two minutes to decompress, yes, right there where you are reading. Ask yourself if all the deadlines and striving with the clock are worth the cost, and allow yourself to answer truthfully. Now make appropriate changes PRN.

APRNs - It's your turn!

This quarter we are focusing on our APRNs and all that NOVA has to offer our members: 

• Empower Mentorship Program

• Tuition Discounts

• Certification Discounts

• Education Scholarships

• NOVA On The Hill Day

• Monthly Webinars with Continuing Education Nursing Credits

Grand Prize: At the end of the quarter, the top recruiter who recruits the most APRN members wins a NOVA embroidered fleece vest.

Second Place Prize: The top recruiter at the end of the quarter who recruits the most Non-APRN members wins a $25 Gift Certificate to the New NOVA store.

All members recruiting NEW APRN, RN, LPN/LVN, and Nurse Emeritus members from October through December are eligible!

If not using the online form:

Email names of the recruited new members to nova@vanurse.org for record-keeping and verification.

Include the following: recruiter's name, names of new members, recruiter's chapter, and a hardcopy application (if the new member didn't sign up online).

If you have any difficulty, please contact NOVA Headquarters (nova@vanurse.org), where a team member will be happy to assist you.

Karen Tepper, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC

VISN1 Clinical Contact Center Director 

Co-Director NP Residency Program

NOVA Chapter 226

Registered Nurses (RNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are among the top Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Critical Occupations (MCO) identified as a priority for recruitment and retention initiatives. Due to the current national shortage of experienced nursing workforce, VHA has, similar to counterparts in the private sector, resorted to filling nursing vacancies with new graduate nurses. Both observation and literature demonstrate that newly graduated RNs and NPs benefit from additional experiential training to master their clinical skills. The VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Nurse Residency programs are designed: (1) to ensure the supervised transition of newly graduated nurses to safe and competent clinical practice in an academic residency model and (2) to enhance recruitment and retention of VA nurses. VA OAA Academic Nurse Residency program positions are funded centrally by OAA trainee funds. The OAA academic training program is a one-year (12 months) program during which the trainees have 100% protected time to master the complexities of caring for Veterans. This is a twelve-month inter-professional training program.

The VA Boston Healthcare System Nurse Practitioner Residency Program provides a comprehensive educational experience using didactic, clinical, and scholarly components to enhance the training of the newly licensed Nurse Practitioner in the care of the American Veteran. The program assists the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) to develop from a novice provider to a competent, confident and independent APRN practitioner in primary care. The Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Residency program prepares Nurse Practitioners for professional leadership, education, and research in an inter-professional practice setting. The Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is partnered with Northeastern University School of Nursing (NUSON). The VA Boston HCS and Northeastern University SON support evidenced-based nursing research and clinical practice education. This academic practice partnership fosters a supportive learning environment for academic, professional, and personal success.

2020-2021 VABHS 1st Cohort of Primary Care NP Residents: (Left to Right)

Chizoba Nwosu, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, Co-Director PC NP Residency Program; Abigail Munroe, NP Resident Graduate; Ifeoma Ugbo, NP Resident Graduate; and Karen Tepper, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, Co-Director NP Residency Program

Dear NOVA Members,

If I were to ask if you wanted a national NOVA Board Member to provide a presentation on the importance of belonging to a professional nursing organization to the nurses at your VA facility, what would you say? In case you are not aware, focusing on member outreach initiatives is a priority for the national NOVA Board.

The 2021 national NOVA Board of Directors: President Kelly D. Skinner, President Elect: TJ Wilcox-Olson, Treasurer/Secretary Ruth Holmes, Membership Secretary Cathy Giasson, Immediate Past President Thelma Roach-Serry, and Directors: Theresa Presley, Yvette Twum-Danso, Betty Ogren, Steven Powell, Miriam Rogers Holy and Cindy Solomon are passionate about NOVA’s mission to educate, communicate, and advocate for the VA nurse professionally, personally and legislatively. NOVA’s vision is for VA nurses to provide high quality nursing care, have an optimal work environment, and be informed on relevant issues that impact VA health care and nursing practice. We strive to maintain a strong voice in the legislative arena, have a presence at the VHA corporate leadership level and aim for VA  nurses to be NOVA members. 

NOVA continuously invests in its board members to promote strategic vision. In August 2021, NOVA board members: Kelly D. Skinner, Ruth Holmes, Cathy Giasson, Thelma Roach-Serry, Betty Ogren, Cindy Solomon, Miriam Rogers Holy, Deb Dupnik and TJ Wilcox Olson attended the Nursing Alliance Leadership Academy (NALA) Virtual Event. The presentations  addressed knowledge related to board leadership roles, responsibilities, governance, and organizational strategies for success. This was a great educational opportunity to increase innovation and improve board performance.

To better serve you, the NOVA Board is eager to enhance knowledge and to raise awareness related to the numerous benefits of NOVA membership including education, certification partnerships, tuition discounts, education scholarships, mentorship, networking, committee participation opportunities, webinars, blog, newsletter, and many more. In 2021, Eula Davis, MPH, MSN, RN-AMB, Nurse Educator, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Pennsylvania; Kim Schmidt, MSN, CCRN, Deputy Educator, Tomah VAMC, Wisconsin; and Tess Ramos, MSN-Ed, RN, Chief Nurse, Education, Salt Lake City VA, Utah reached out to NOVA and requested  support to help promote NOVA at their facility. NOVA board members: Kelly D. Skinner, TJ Wilcox-Olson, and Cathy Giasson; Nurse Emeritus/NOVA Past President Nancy Claflin; and Director of Advocacy and Government Relations Teresa Morris discussed the positive impact of belonging to a professional nursing organization with the nurses. While in Utah, Teresa Morris and I were able to visit with Penny Kaye Jensen, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, FAAN, FAANP VACO/ONS, National APRN Program Manager and NOVA APRN Committee Chairperson. It is essential to establish and continue a beneficial relationship and trust between NOVA and our members. 

Please do not hesitate to contact NOVA by emailing nova@vanurse.org to schedule a virtual or in person presentation. NOVA board members are from the states of Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia, South Carolina, Indiana, Texas, and Maryland, and are also willing to drive to a nearby VA facility for an in person visit.  

Since NOVA was founded in 1980, it has grown to represent all VA nurses – APRNs, RNs, LPNs/LVNs, and is the only professional organization for VA nurses who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Let’s get the word out!

With appreciation, 

Kelly D. Skinner, DNP, APRN, NP-C, GNP-BC, CRRN, WCC, CFCN