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Cathy Rick, RN, PhD(h), NEA-BC, FACHE, FAAN, is the Chief Nursing Officer, for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Ms. Rick provides leadership and guidance to VA’s 80,000 nursing personnel, who care for nearly six million veterans each year. As the Chief Nurse Executive for VA, she is responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of national policy and strategic planning activities that support the missions of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA): clinical care, education, research, backup to the Department of Defense and emergency preparedness.

Ms Rick is responsible for administering the VA National Nursing Strategic Plan. National goals include strategies to enhance leadership excellence, evidence-based practice, informatics, career development & workforce, nursing practice transformation, nursing research, advanced practice nursing and collaboration with academic affiliates and professional organizations. Significant accomplishments and future directions for each of the goals have emerged. Nursing staff members across the 1300+ VA sites have been affected positively by the work related to these strategic goals. These accomplishments provide useful examples for the entire professional nursing community.

Ms Rick has published on the following topics: "Integrating Patient Care Delivery”, “Warp Speed Innovation”, “New Nursing Roles & Technological Advances”, “Qualification Standards: Excellence at All Levels” , “The Reality of Virtual Learning for Nurses in the Largest Integrated Healthcare System in the Nation”, “Patient and Staff Safety”, “Differentiated Practice, Getting Over the Fear Factor” “Nursing Informatics Roles”, “Policy Change for the Greater Good”, and “Future Healthcare Systems: The Nurse Executive Role” . She is a frequent speaker on topics related to advancing nursing practice, patient care delivery models, and leadership principles for all nursing roles.

Prior to her appointment as VA’s top nurse executive, Ms. Rick was the Nurse Executive at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. Her clinical expertise is in the area of Medical Surgical and Intensive Care Nursing. Ms Rick has over 35 years of experience in clinical, leadership and executive level health care roles. Some of the awards she has received are: Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Executives’ (WONE) 1997 Nurse Executive of the Year Award, 2004 Marquette University Distinguished Alumni Award, 2004 Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, 2005 McGovern Award: American Association College of Nursing and 2008 Outstanding Nurse Scholar award: Sigma Theta Tau Delta Gamma.

Ms Rick is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Nursing at the Uniformed Services University and guest lecturer at the George Mason Health Policy Institute. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, American Nurses Association, and American College of Healthcare Executives. She is on the Editorial Board for Nursing Administration Quarterly.

Ms Rick earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI and her Master of Science Degree in Nursing Administration from Marquette University in Milwaukee. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Healthcare Executives.