Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center

The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center sits on University Avenue in West Philadelphia, within the medical district that includes the University of Pennsylvania and its hospitals. Named for a Philadelphia native and Medal of Honor recipient killed in Vietnam, the medical center operates within the Veterans Health Administration and serves veterans throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and parts of southern New Jersey, supported by community-based outpatient clinics across that territory.

Services include inpatient medical and surgical care, intensive care, surgery, primary care, and a wide range of outpatient specialty clinics, alongside mental and behavioral health programs covering outpatient treatment, PTSD care, substance use treatment, and outreach to veterans experiencing homelessness. Extended care and rehabilitation support an aging veteran population. Affiliations with area medical schools make the facility a teaching site for residents and health professions students, and it maintains an active research program. Nurses practice across critical care, medical-surgical, perioperative, outpatient, and mental health settings, with acuity reflecting the hospital's referral role. Nursing positions fall under federal employment, so pay scales, benefits, and advancement follow VA structures rather than the terms at Penn Medicine or Jefferson.