[semisweetchick]

Does anyone here work at Evans Army Community Hospital (Ft. Carson) or Air Force Academy Hospital in Colorado Springs? Can you offer any insight regarding the situation for civilian nurses at either of these facilities? Is it difficult to get a position? Do they hire new grads?

I opted to post here first, but if I don't get a response, I'll try posting in the Military/VA forum.

Thanks!

[eve5483]

I am also interested in working at army or airforce hospitals, I am not an RN but sometimes I look up job openings from Craigslist, just to see how things are working . I think It's a good site. Visit

http://cosprings.craigslist.org/hea/317351338.html
http://cosprings.craigslist.org/hea/317288204.html

or you can just call them if you have questions. I guess they're looking for somebody now good luck!

[semisweetchick]

Thanks. I've seen those Craigslist postings, also, but I'm not interested in agency work. I am interested in exploring the possibility of working as a federal civil service nurse. I understand I can call the civilian nurse recruiter at those hospitals (and I will when I get closer to graduation), but I'd also like to hear the straight dope from anyone actually working in those facilities. Thanks!

[rpbear]

Good luck getting a GS (civil service) job, veterans and other GS workers have priority and there are a lot of veterans and GS workers in the area that will have preference over you. I applied for a GS job 8 months ago, they put you in a file and when there is an opening they might call you. I found another job so I havent pushed the idea, but sometimes it will take years for an opening.

Good Luck

[semisweetchick]

Thanks for the info. I'm aware in other disciplines/fields it can take a long time to get a GS job. It's odd to hear it's the same in nursing. Anyway, it doesn't matter to me whether or not it takes awhile. There are plenty of other jobs available while I wait.

Thanks again!

[Cherish]

Yup its hard to get a federal job. I myself am a Veteran and disabled (if your both you are above everyone when it comes to preference). Many people that were in the military apply for federal jobs so its very hard for someone who wasn't former military. Good luck though.

[janetjanetbobanet]

My daughter works at Evans, and I think it's a pretty decent place to work. She worked for the VA for awhile, then got a job at an Army hospital in Kansas where she was living then, and transferred out to Evans. I have had similar experience, went to work for the VA and then transferred to an Army hospital for four years, came back to the VA after four more years, could transfer about anywhere I want to now. A lot of my coworkers are veterans but not all. Veterans are the ones most likely to get hired as new grads, definitely. Or military wives. For a non veteran to get into the system, it helps to either work contract (Evans uses Spectrum for contract) first and get hired that way after working for them awhile or to know someone within the system who will introduce you to a nurse manager and more or less promote you in that way. Once a manager knows you and wants to hire you he or she can pick your application out of what's available. That part I know from my own personal experience. I know that there are already contract workers at Evans who want to get GS positions, from what my daughter tells me. Hope some of this helps.

[semisweetchick]

Hi Janet. Thanks for your response. That is, indeed, very helpful. It's always nice to get insider information!