VA Travel Nurse Corps

[ChristineAdrianaRN, BSN, RN]

Hey all! I'm a current employee at the VA hospital in St. Louis, MO, and I'm thinking about getting into travel nursing.

Does anyone have any experience with the Travel Nurse Corps through the VA? I am drawn to things like the funding of not only housing/utilities but all your travel, meals, phone service, and even laundry service. Also I hear that you don't have to get a nursing license in each state, that if you do it through the VA, you're good no matter where you go. I'm waiting to get a call back from the recruiter, but I was wondering if anyone could share their experiences. FWIW, I specialize in the OR. Thanks!!

[NedRN]

Yes, to work on a federal facility or IHS hospital, all you need is any valid state license. That applies to third party agency travelers too. I would think the major benefit to doing the Nurse Corps thing is a continuation of benefits, especially retirement, and a familiar work environment. Everything being paid is not impressive, effectively all travel companies do just that.

I hope you get some direct feedback here about the Corps. I've heard both good and bad things about them. I would highly recommend you talk also to the Corps and several regular agencies and compare compensation. You won't have any trouble working steady in the OR in the real world, but do find out how steady the work is for the Corps. One of the downsides I hear about the entire VA including the Corps is how slowly things happen. My suspicion is that you will have to extend assignments waiting for the next thing to come through, and those extensions may not come through in time either.