Military/VA RN's - Please post experiences for Students

I am very happy with my full time SICU position at WHC but I have always wanted to volunteer a shift a week or so at the VA because my father was a Vietnam vet. I think I tried calling just last Friday here in D.C. and the guy told me that they were overwhelmed with volunteers and that they didn't use nurses as volunteers. Do you know if there's any way around that? I don't think they'd hire me for just a shift a week or less, would they?

Some of the prospects and questions that I have/believe about military nursing are:
1-The pride of putting on the uniform..both scrubs and military. ///True, loved the scrubs and sneaker outfit!
2-Working with and for our service members. ///True, you never know, you may become a patient in your own dept!
3-Deployment nursing...like battlefield hospitals or with marine corps units sounds interesting. ///True, I'd say chances are 50/50 of deployment if you're stationed on shore duty at a hospital. But I hear they tend to send specialists more than regular RNs. You will be sent to one/two week field training or some other platform assignment from time to time(The platform you are attached to means should they need to send out a group to sea(ship)/Iraq(desert), you will be trained to work in that atmosphere and know your team)
4-Some of the administration I have seen in the civilian world can be pretty cutthroat, is it the same in the military?/// I have seen politics, as usual not everyone gets along, but as long as you meet requirements, you can advance. You basically get promoted from O-1 to O-2 to O-3 just by keeping your nose clean basically. And I've seen some dirtbag O-3s! If you're not a team player, that will cut your own throat more.
5-I have thought about the VA as an alternative to the service./// Still would take 30 vice 20 yrs to retire.
6-What about this civilian nurse working for the military stuff I hear?/// I did a paper recently on how the military is looking to replace 90,000 military medical personnel to work at hospitals and the remaining to frontline positions. I'm sure this will take some time though.
7-Can one still have a pretty solid personal life as a nurse in the military./// For the most part, yes. Unless you pick a ship(most times have to fight for one!) or have a specialty and they need bodies to send to Iraq, you should be okay. I've seen some officers stay at the same command for over 4 yrs which is not usually the norm in the Navy traditionally. It all depends on how competitive you are in your career w/ regards to transferring. On average, 2-4 yrs at a command.
8-How safe is nursing in the service insofar as patient-nurse ratios, hours worked in one day, litigation?/// While there are hard times in terms of personnel now due to many being sent to Iraq, I doubt you would have to endure 12+ hr days on a regular basis. You will have enlisted Corpsmen who will be working for you, so you won't be alone. Litigation? Most matters like this get directed to the Command Representative or to the Patient Admin Dept (via Congressional letter/Congressman). If you're a good worker and have your chain of commands backing, I doubt you would have problems. (Please do more research on this one because I am not an expert on this area)
9-Do you feel like your education, career, and life is on hold because you are in the service?/// There is always time for education unless you are on isolated duty. Plus you can do the masters programs as stated above by another poster. You can use TA (tuition assistance) which will pay about 100%. And as stated above, you can rotate, not stuck on one ward for years on end working nights. You can always volunteer to work on your own time in other areas to learn, most of the hospitals are training commands and always welcome any help when you're trying to learn)
10-If I am just looking for a medical/surgical floor position, is that pretty easy to get./// It depends on your command(hospital) but it can be competitive if it's a huge command. (See above about volunteer work)
11-What is the culture like at work (work environment)./// Onshore at a hospital, really laid back. I rarely saw big sticklers on "military bearing". You may have to 'play the game' for a few minutes but if your floor is working well together, I wouldn't be concerned about someone breathing down your neck. I wouldn't recommend calling co-workers by their first name in front of patients though. They do believe in following standards in hospital codes/regs (JCAHO/OSHA) which is the right thing to do anyway. Many may think the Navy is a melting pot due to the diversity at work but you can meet a lot of great people from many different walks of life. You will eventually learn the meaning to "It's a small Navy." If you think you'll never see someone again that you worked with because you crossed the world, think again. Chances are your new co-worker knows them too!

I was active duty (enlisted) in the Navy for four years, so there is a bit of pull to continuing down that salty path. Thank You, Mike

I am very happy with my full time SICU position at WHC but I have always wanted to volunteer a shift a week or so at the VA because my father was a Vietnam vet. I think I tried calling just last Friday here in D.C. and the guy told me that they were overwhelmed with volunteers and that they didn't use nurses as volunteers. Do you know if there's any way around that? I don't think they'd hire me for just a shift a week or less, would they?

I am due to graduate from my LVN program in 2 weeks and REALLY want to work at the VA. One of our clinical rotations was at the VA here in San Diego, but unfortunatley not all the students in the class were able to go there, so I was not able to visit that site. My husband is active duty and I would enjoy and value working with the Veterans. If anyone could give me advice on how to go about applying and also if there are any posotions that are available in the time that I graduate school, until I pass boards and get my license (volunteering, nurses aid etc.)... it would be gratly appreciated. TIA.

I would like to help our student nurses recognize the value of entering into military service or working for the VA system. To do this, I would ask all of our members that are military or VA employed to lend your experience here. Please take a moment to post information for our students that you might think is helpful for them.

Would love to see information about dealing with recruiters (military ... that is) and how to effectively negotiate with them. Would like to see information posted about experiences that you have and any recommendations you have about entering military nursing or the VA system. THe VA can be a difficult place to navigate and any information on how to get into the VA would be helpful also.

We have many students that monitor this thread and I think this information would be very helpful to them.


Also, for the students reading this thread, please feel free to add your questions. We have many experienced military and VA nurses that view this thread and I am sure they are willing to help answer your questions.

I will make the thread a sticky in the hopes that it does become popular. Thanks for your help.

All branches of the military require a BSN (I believe - Military people help me out please). I am not sure what the age cut off is, but perhaps others reading tyhe thread can answer.