Key VA partner receives award for collaboration with school

Kim Heckmann, MSN, FNP-C, SCRN, PHN, Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency program director at the Minneapolis VA Healthcare System (MVAHCS), was named the recipient of the 2024 Excellence in Education Academic Collaboration with an Affiliate Award.

The award recognizes an educator who strengthens the academic affiliation and educational collaboration with training programs at affiliated institutions with an emphasis on quality of care.

Heckmann was recognized for her work in partnering with the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in the development and implementation of the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency Program at MVAHCS, which provides a seamless transition from academia to practice for newly graduated nurse practitioners.

The Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is the most recent collaboration between the school and MVAHCS. In 2021, the MVAHCS and University of Minnesota celebrated their 75 years of academic affiliation with the announcement of a new Collaboratory aimed at improving nursing practice, education and patient outcomes.

In 1996, the school and MVAHCS began educating nurse anesthetists together, which led to the first Doctor of Nursing Practice program in nurse anesthesia in the United States. Other key collaborations included the VA Nursing Academic Partnership and the VA Quality Scholars Program.