Anyone else get into the VA Versant Program for 2009??

hi there! I'm not doing Versant, but I did get hired as a new grad nurse at the VA Palo Alto. I'll be working in the MSICU. Someone I met in an EKG class is doing Versant...she'll be in the MSICU with me. I heard there's a good number of you. And it's a great program for you to become familiar with the hospital and system.

What unit will you be on?

Congrats to both of you for getting into the Versant Program and being hired as a new grad nurse. Both opportunities are very hard to come by and it is encouraging to know the federal system is willing to give 'newer' nurses the opportunity to train, learn and work. Perhaps this may be the very beginning of the gov lifting the hiring freeze which I understand has been in place since late summer 2008.

SarahRN32485, For some reason, I couldn't find any info about the Versant Program on the VA website specifically for PA. Can you give me the direct link to the web page? Should funds allow for an August program I would hope to at least come acrose a page which may say 'we are not currently accepting applications for the Summer 2009 ... but please continue to check back.'

tmartinezRN.BSN, how did you get in as a new grad nurse? Were you already employed at the VA in another position or did you 'know' someone who might have passed your resume along? My friend who is an RN at VAPAHCS says it's very hard to come in as a new grad nurse. She recently completed her bridge program from an LVN to RN.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

blessed_RN: thank you for the congrats! i am so happy to have been given these opportunities...we ALL know how hard they are to come by these days. back in nursing school, i did 2 semesters of med-surg at the VA Palo Alto. i had worked as a nursing assistant in LTC before & during school, but I wanted to work as a NA at the VA in med-surg. My clinical instructor (who was a manager at the VA in another ICU) ended up passing my app & resume to the manager in the higher level ICU. I worked as an NA in that ICU from July 07-May 08. I heard about the VALOR program (gives student nurses an opportunity to work with a preceptor for the summer). So I did that from May 08-Dec 08 (they extended my appointment, which I was grateful for). During my VALOR appt, the nurse manager approached me a couple times with interest that she wanted to hire me as a staff nurse when the time came. She had already given my name to HR & the nurse exec even before I had taken boards b/c she knew the freeze was still in effect.

So that's my story. I think the freeze has lifted now b/c about 2-3 wks ago HR finally got a hold of me and we got the ball rolling. So I should be starting in the next 2 weeks or so, hopefully.

Hope that answered your questions. Sorry for the novel. haha. and G'luck to you!

congratulations! I heard that there are only two new grad classes per year at the VA. do you know when they are? Congratulations again. I am in Baltimore but miss California. I will graduate in May with my MPH, but received my BSN and passed the NCLEX almost a year ago. Do they look for people fresh out of nursing school?

Congrats to everyone who got in- I must say I'm jealous! Like so many others I graduated in December with a BSN and still no job. Blessed RN- I just applied to the Palo Alto VA new grad program. The application is up, just search Palo Alto VA, go to nursing opportunities and you should find New Grad Program 2009. The program doesn't start until sometime in the fall though. Good luck to everyone.

The program starts in the Fall right? When did you apply? Did you have to submit other documents besides the application form online?

I was going to apply to their Feb 2009 program, but did not take the NCLEX in time. Their application included other documents that needed to be sent back by mail, and I was wondering if it's the same process this time.

Thanks!