Established in 1998, The Virginia Partnership for Nursing is a statewide nursing workforce initiative and part of the Colleagues in Caring Initiative funded through the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. VPN was created in response to the federal and state estimates of a nursing shortage which may eventually lead to a shortage in the workforce at 36% below demand by 2020. VPN's mission is to build commitment and capacity to transform health care by creating a nursing workforce responsive to consumer healthcare needs.

VPN's goals include establishing a permanent forum for analyzing health workforce issues and proposing solutions to need, supply and demand issues; developing a nursing workforce forecasting model for the state, implementing educational mobility models among the various levels of educational programs, reducing barriers to educational mobility, establishing programs for retooling nurses through academic and industry collaboration, developing practice models that meet the nursing needs of Virginians, and coordinating information and data within the state to assure public policy that fosters the health of all citizens.