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

Hello to everyone that is interested in military or Va nursing. I am a Captain in the U.S. Army and I am currently on reserve status in what is called the IRR. The IRR (individual ready reserve) is a pool of personnel that is activated if needed by the military. I was on active duty military for 6 1/2 years. I loved my time in the military but went to reserves for personal reasons. I was able to travel to Hawaii, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Germany, and Iraq while I was in the millitary. The education and benefits are great along with the once in a lifetime oppurtunites. If you have any questions feel free to respond to my thread and I will answer the best possible.

The second portion is that I am currently an employee with the VA. I like the VA due to the fact it is a familiar environment for me. The VA is a great opportunity for new nurses due to the fact in 25 years you will receive a retirement from the government(this is not including your individual investments). The VA works on a rank structure also due to the fact that you never loose your senority. What I mean by this is that if you work in San Diego and decide to move to Miami, your time transfers to that VA and you do not loose your senority status. The VA (along with the miltary) will pay you to go back to get your Master's Degree. The VA can be difficult to get into at first due to the massive paperwork you have to do in the beginning as far as your application (but be patient it is well worth the paperwork due to your benefits). In order to get an application and apply for the VA, the best option is to go to the personnel office of your nearest VA and apply. The online system still has problems and most of the time it will require for you to still go to the personnel office. If anyone has further questions, feel free to e-mail me.

Amber,

Tell me more about IRR and RTU please. I'm interested since its much more flexible. You can PM me.
Thanks.

Quote:
Relax and don’t worry about a specialty. The military simply needs warm bodies. From what I’ve seen, the Air Force takes nurses with a pulse as their primary specialty. I worked in the civ world and work in mil world. One relates 0.00% to the other.

Clinical mil nurses log 10 or 20 hours a week (holidays/weekends/sunny days/etc are all holidays)…and all of that is on a phone telling pt’s they can’t get an appointment. You’ll get a couple of hours for lunch and might actually touch a patient (as long as he needs nothing more than Tylenol) once or twice a day for a handshake.

If you really want to get a grasp on tough to acquire specialties….you need to stay a civilian and see really acute patients. Mil patients abuse the free healthcare and present with slacker syndrome most of the time. If you can get a certification in giving article 15’s to dirtbag slackers looking for profiles and quarters….…you’d be guaranteed a slot as an Air Force RN. If you want to see really sick acute care folks….you are barking up the wrong tree. Our ER waiting room fills with dirtbags 100:1 over folks that really need help

Wow--gasp. You have really had a bad experience. I have myself posted about the possibility of getting into a bad unit. You MUST be referring to a clinic--probably overseas--GERMANY? I'm really curious. My experience in the military was extremely positive. I received GREAT training and experience--far ahead of my civillian counterparts. When I ETS'd as a 91C LVN--I immediately passed the RN board in CA--all because of the generosity of my military colleagues. I have to say though--I did have a similar experience in Germany at an Air Force medical clinic (I was Army) in Weisbaden. I felt I was a highly skilled professional in a sea of people who just couldn't care less---THAT WAS NOT THE NORM---You are giving people the wrong idea overall of nursing in the military; especially for NURSES. RNs are desperately needed and probably wouldn't even staff clinics--PAs, MDs and medics usually staff clinics---I am guessing you are/were a medic?

Amberstar: Have you found VA scheduling to be cooperative with your commitments to the IRR? I am a new VA SNT (graduating in May and hopefully staying on as an RN), and would like to possibly be involved with the reserves at one point, but am worried about VA/reserves schedule conflicts.

Is there anyone who can tell me about VA's in the Raleigh-Durham area. Let me rephase..there is a VA in Durham, do they hire LPN's?. I'll be graduating in June and take my boards in July. My husband is a vet and I couldn't think of anything I'd like to do more, than to give back to those that were like him. Any information would be much appreciated.

Thanks

You can go to vacareers.com and look at individual states or VISNs (groups of states). When you find a hospital in the area that you want, go to the individual website and check under employment opportunities. You may want to call the facility and talk to someone in HR. Sometimes positions don't get posted to the web. Good luck!

Hi,
I'm a BSN student who is considering joining the military after graduation. I'm a little older (will be 34 when I graduate) which do you suggest, active or reserve or should I try to work at the VA? Honestly, I'm a bit nervous at the thought of joining the army nursing corp and being deployed to Iraq.
Thanks!

I did Army for a few years but got out.Had I stayed in I would be retired and on easy street. Any alcohol or drug related behavior is kiss of death in spite of what recruiters may tell you. You may also want to consider the USPHS Commission Corp. You can work for a number of governement entities like the NIH or FDA.

I am not enlisted yet. I am a LPN. I have been told I will be a 91wm6 which is a practical nurse in the Army. I tried all of the other branchs Army is the only one with this option. I also think they might take associates RNs.

I was wondering if any VA RN's who are currently employed can give me any information about the hiring process.What happened was I had faxed my resume to my local VA hospital back in 2/06,they had called me in for a interview 7/6/06,I went and met with the nurse manager and we interviewed,she said she had a few interviews left,but I would be hearing from someone after the interview process was over,she dais sometimes it takes 6 months.A few days ago I decided to call the staffing coordinator whose number the manager had given me,he stated the nurse manager was brining him tha packets that evening then they are sent to personnel,Well this morning he had called me and said what he now needs is for me to fax him 2 professional who I have worked with and he gave me the number,I was shocked he had called,could this mean I am on my way to employment with the VA?What comes after this point?Any information would be gladly appreciated as I am very excited,with the VA do they actually offer you a position?Thank You for your response.