 Provided by ReachMD
How the VA System is Meeting the
Healthcare Needs of Female Veterans
on Partners in Practice
In the next five years, women will account for more than 10 percent of the veterans in the United States. The growing population of female soldiers has raised new challenges for government. Not only are women facing some of the same health issues as men, like depression and post traumatic stress disorder, but they are dealing with issues like sexual trauma, as well as the need for services including mammograms and fertility counseling. Dr. Yvette Petti, adult nurse practitioner for the Department of Primary Care and Women's Wellness Services at the VA Medical Center in Battle Creek, Michigan, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss what the Veterans Administration is doing, and how they are reaching outside the VA, to meet the health needs of women veterans.
Dr. Yvette Petti holds a full time appointment as an adult nurse practitioner for the Department of Primary Care and Women's Wellness Services at the Battle Creek, Michigan, VA Medical Center. She also holds a community faculty position with Grand Valley State University College of Nursing in the family nurse practitioner master's program. She has been an advanced practice nurse since 1991, and has worked in community and private practice. She has given presentations on various topics in women's health and been a national presenter for the Nurse Practitioner Associates for Continuing Medical Education, Venus Medical Corporation, and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Petti holds a master's degree in health education from the University of Toledo, a masters of science in nursing from Wayne State University, and a PhD in nursing from Rush University. Her doctoral work was in Latina women's health, with cognates in epidemiology and public health
Mimi Secor, MS, FNP-BC, FAANP earned her master's degree in nursing from the University of Massachusetts in 1995 and her master's degree in education from Antioch University in Cambridge in 1979. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, on the board of directors for the Nurse Practitioners Associates for Continuing Education, and member of a number of professional organizations, including Sigma Theta Tau, the Honor Society of Nursing; the American Nurses Association; the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, of which she is a founder; and the American College of Clinicians, a national organization for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Ms. Secor has received several awards for her services and accomplishments in patient care and in education, and has published numerous articles and book chapters on topics including women's health, contraception, the pelvic exam, menopause, and sexually transmitted infections.
ReachMD, an innovative communications company, provides thought-provoking medical news and information to healthcare practitioners. Established to help increasingly time-constrained medical providers stay abreast of new research, treatment protocols and continuing education requirements, ReachMD delivers innovative and informative radio programming via XM Satellite Radio Channel 160 and online streaming developed by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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| WilsonPA (Bridgeport, Texas) |
on 10 Nov 2010 at 11:04 pm |
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| I also would like to comment on the Vet that was mentioned in the first post. Do you honestly believe that any practitioner, mid-level or physician, would in sound mind, discharge a patient with a fever of 102? Not all the facts of that case are presented. Any number of events could have occurred between the time the patient was actually discharged and the time his temp was actually recorded. To even suggest that the care provided to any person, decorated vet or not, was substandard is a serious charge. And to associate me or any other VA employee with an event that has no facts or background story associated with it aggravates me as a professional and as an employee of the VA system. I am not saying we are perfect. No one is. How about you stop playing armchair quarterback and do something about it, if the event you speak of bothers you so. |
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| WilsonPA (Bridgeport, Texas) |
on 10 Nov 2010 at 2:28 pm |
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| I am the PA at an outpatient VA clinic in north Texas. I had heard horror stories about how poorly vets are treated in VA hospitals. And I was a bit worried about this prior to taking this job. I admit the VA does have some difficulties in treating vets. But there is no other system like it in the US where we care for so many people with so many pathologies with so little money or time. I love my job and I give the best care I can in my clinic. If anyone out there has suggestions that are feasible to improve the care provided, I say stop chatting about it on the sideline and help. Mid-levels are needed in all aspects of the VA system. |
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| CapeCodMermaid (Brockton MA) |
on 14 Oct 2010 at 7:25 pm |
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| My building has a VA contract. I find the care these veterans receive at the VA Hospital to be appalling. Lack of consistency in their care...lack of real programs to deal with their unique issues. We sent a resident to the VA Hospital....they sent him back with a temp of 102! He is a decorated Korean War veteran and this is how he was treated at the VA. You all have a long way to go before you say you provide these people with good care! |
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