Central Texas Veterans Health Care System

The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System operates as a multi-campus network rather than a single hospital, anchored by the Olin E. Teague Veterans' Medical Center in Temple, Texas. A second major campus in Waco carries substantial mental health and extended care capacity, and a large outpatient clinic in Austin serves the metropolitan population to the south. Together with additional community-based clinics, the system covers a broad stretch of central Texas, from the Hill Country through the I-35 corridor.

Services span inpatient medical and surgical care, intensive care, surgery, primary care, and outpatient specialty clinics, with notable depth in mental and behavioral health including PTSD treatment, substance use programs, residential rehabilitation, and outreach to veterans experiencing homelessness. Extended care and rehabilitation support an aging veteran population. Nurses practice across critical care, medical-surgical, perioperative, outpatient, mental health, and long-term care settings, and the campus structure means roles vary considerably depending on site. A longstanding affiliation with Texas A&M's medical school makes the system a teaching site for residents and health professions students. Nursing positions fall under federal employment, so pay, benefits, and advancement follow VA structures rather than private-sector terms.