New Grads at VA Hospital

[SeychelleRN]

Would you recommend a new grad with no experience to work at the VA hospital or would you suggest working at a civilian hospital first and then apply with experience? Any response is appreciated.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Would you recommend a new grad with no experience to work at the VA hospital or would you suggest working at a civilian hospital first and then apply with experience? Any response is appreciated.

*** I would suggest getting some real world experience before working in the VA. I only have experience working in one VA hospital but it is a big one in Minneapolis. The VA allows virtually no nurse autonomy. Everything is very MD centered with residents running all over the place. They even have residents just sitting around in the ICUs waiting to deal with any problem. I have notice a serious lack of critical thinking skills among the non-ICU nurses there as well. They are also very, very old fashioned in both medical and nursing. They STILL do not use common standard of care treatments like therapeutic hypothermia or CRRT (speaking only for that one large VA facility). Even those treatments they do the RN isn't expected to take part. For example when there is a balloon pump patient the nurse has no responsibilities associated with it. They keep a perfusionist in house all the time when there is a balloon pump patient.

Lots of other old fashioned ideas too. For example the VA is STILL of the opinion that ICU nurses must have at least several years of med-surg then step down experience.

However all that said the benefits are pretty good and the pay is OK. 26 days a year of vacation to start is pretty hard to beat.

[hotflashion, BSN, RN]

Actually that doesn't sound like a bad way or place to start. To be honest, I don't want a whole lot of autonomy as a new nurse. I'd rather get some solid experience doing the practical work of nursing -- with supervision -- before being allowed or even expected to exercise judgment, i.e., act autonomously. I don't think critical thinking is taught, though I do believe that it is something that must be learned, and the only way I know of to learn it is by experience.

[busydude]

Hi,

I am still in Nursing school and am researching all my options before I graduate. Just have a question about how much of an impact being a veteren has on the hiring process and other benefits in the VA system. It seems like I have heard that veterens get preferecne points. Is there other area's such as pay and retirement where my veteren status will come in handy. Thanks for the respones.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Hi,

I am still in Nursing school and am researching all my options before I graduate. Just have a question about how much of an impact being a veteren has on the hiring process and other benefits in the VA system. It seems like I have heard that veterens get preferecne points. Is there other area's such as pay and retirement where my veteren status will come in handy. Thanks for the respones.

*** Veterans do get preference points. Either 5 or 10 depending on the nature of your service. Veterans years of service also counts towards retirement but you must "buy the time back". It's easy and painless. There is no advantage for veterans for promotion purposes. Military time also counts for seniority which is important when it comes time to request vacation dates.