Lebanon County nurse Bridgette Schultz recognized as one of the best in the VA

A licensed practical nurse in the VA Lebanon Healthcare System has received an Award for Excellence in Nursing and Advancement of Nursing Programs for 2025 from the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Bridgette Schultz, LPN, was nominated by her colleagues for the honor from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. According to a recent press release, the award is given to VA nurses “for outstanding service to Veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs.” Nurses who receive the award, the release says, “have displayed the best characteristics and the highest level of dedication to their profession and are highly deserving of the honor bestowed upon them.”

Schultz specifically was nominated for “her demonstrated effectiveness in improving and delivering patient care to Veterans who have been identified with high blood pressure,” the release says. “Additionally, Bridgette was recognized for her outstanding, detailed and often inspiring direct patient care which has resulted in life-saving scenarios.”

“VA nurses have been widely recognized for their instrumental work in initiating, developing, implementing, and monitoring the practices and policies that has made VA one of the world’s foremost authorities in patient safety and quality outcomes, evidenced by our performance measures,” Ashley Klick, associate director for patient care services for VA Lebanon Health Care, said in a statement. “We’re proud of Bridgette – not only for her competence and compassion, but also for way she leads the way, just as VA nurses do across the country!”

The release said Schultz created a VA Video Connect (VVC) program to educate patients about blood pressure reduction and management.

According to “More Than a Job: My Life as a VA Nurse,” an article published May 8 on the VA Careers website, Schultz is “a champion of innovation and technology,” and the VVC program “enhanced follow-up care for hypertensive patients, reduced in-person clinic visits, and improved blood pressure management.”

According to the VA Careers article, Schultz was inspired to enter the health-care field because she was “a very young mom of a child with special needs.”

“I spent most of my career working locally for a private health care system, but an opportunity came up with VA,” she said. “I was told they were looking for strong nurses and I was highly encouraged to try. That was in 2019, and I can honestly say today that I love my job and have absolutely no thoughts of going elsewhere.”

She works weekdays in a primary care outpatient clinic.

“I work closely with the provider on the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) having the patients screened and triaged,” Schultz explained. “I also reply to secure messages and take phone calls. I really encourage the use of virtual care, so I’ll also conduct video visits with our Veterans. If there’s a long gap between visits with their provider, patients really appreciate that extra time that we give them through video visits. When I’m not busy providing direct care, I’m participating in workgroups and pilots to foster process improvements for Veteran care.”

The VA Secretary’s Awards in Nursing Excellence program was established in 1984.