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David Przestrzelski, MS, RN, was appointed Associate Director, Patient Care Services/Nurse Executive at the Charles George VA Medical Center on Oct. 1, 2006. He is responsible for nursing

and support staff within the Nursing Service and coordinates clinical service delivery with the Chief of Staff in this complexity level 1C facility. Prior to this assignment, he served 10

years at the VA Medical Center in Tucson as chief nurse executive and director of nursing education. He founded the Tucson Nurses Week Foundation, and helped lead the expansion of a VA

city-wide internship program. He has a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania College of Nursing (1975). After private sector clinical experience, he served as a

lieutenant in the US Navy Nurse Corps (1977-1980) at the Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD; and Naval Hospital, Charleston, SC. After military service, he began his VA career as a critical

care nurse at the North Chicago VA Medical Center. After completing his master of science degree in Nursing Administration at the University of Illinois College of Nursing in 1984, he served

as nurse manager and associate chief, Nursing Service, in the 1,200-bed Edward J. Hines VA Hospital in Chicago. In 1988, he was appointed Senior Associate Chief Nurse at the Richard L.

Roudebush VA Medical Center where he was clinical champion in design of a $94 million clinical addition. In 1992, he was appointed chief nurse executive at the Tucson VA Medical Center. He

transferred to the Nurse Executive role at the Charles George VA Medical Center in 2003. He is a graduate of the VA Health Care Leadership Institute and the Federal Executive Institute. He

is the Nurse Executive Liaison for sterile processing and reusable medical equipment issues at the national level, a national leader in nurse staffing methodology and chairs the VISN 6 Pain

Committee.