Developing a Relationship Focused Culture of Care in the Veterans Health Administration

Background: Evaluators in the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) developed a leadership-driven training program to engage staff in VHA core values and in exemplifying these values in responsive relationships with Veterans.  VHA Voices was adapted from the South Central Foundation’s (SCF) Nuka Core Concepts program, a critical component of their award-winning workforce development approach associated with improved health outcomes, patient and staff satisfaction, and reduced cost of care. The purpose of this evaluation was to measure perceived impacts of the VHA Voices training program at five pilot VHA medical centers.

Methods: Five pilot sites across the country were selected in 2014. The impact of the training on participant knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy regarding relationships with co-workers, veterans and the organization were measured using electronic questionnaires administered to participants prior to, immediately after, and 2 months post-training.  Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.

Results: 266 participants completed the pre- and post-training surveys and 161 completed the 2 months post-training survey. Results indicate significant improvement in 6 out of 7 High-Performing Workplaces items (e.g., "Members of my work group communicate well with each other") and other organizational climate items.  Fifteen of 17 items related to relationships with co-workers and Veterans and connection to VHA’s mission also showed significant improvement at both post-training assessments.

Conclusion:  The VHA Voices program is engineered to support culture change by reintroducing a focus on relationships to inspire meaningful employee engagement.  This initial evaluation indicates that VHA Voices has a significant impact on participating employees.