Any NPs working for the VA?

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Jun 23, 2013

I believe they close the job as soon as they find someone they want to hire. It does take a long time to navigate the federal system, however. I believe they have to verify, in a myriad of ways, that you are who you say you are, are not the borg, and could not possibly be a terrorist. :borg:

NPAlby · Jun 25, 2013

I think the listing I applied for had a few weeks but with a definite close out date that was sooner than 1yr. Odd that they would keep the job open for that long hmmm

Jules A, MSN · Jul 4, 2013

Thanks for the info everyone! I knew from the get go that the VA pay was going to be a lot lower but 40k lower? Are you kidding me. And yes I know about the tier system and how they give you points if you were on committees blah blah. But again 40k lower than i would make as an new NP? It's just straight up offensive. I've made that amt as an RN woking 36hrs/week.

Lol same thing happened to me. They offered me $83,000 and I could have spit. The first NP job I ended up taking paid $125,000. The federal benefits aren't that good.

Jules A, MSN · Jul 4, 2013

Just be careful megan, your job is up to you to convince these people you're worth it...
seventy is very very reasonable out of school though.

I guess it depends on where you are. I made over $80,000 as a floor RN.

AtomicWoman · Jul 5, 2013

Lol same thing happened to me. They offered me $83,000 and I could have spit. The first NP job I ended up taking paid $125,000. The federal benefits aren't that good.

Jobs for new NPs don't pay nearly that much around here in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area. Wish they did!

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Jul 5, 2013

Yes, that would be too big a difference for me to swallow too. However, if one had student loans to consider (I did not), getting those forgiven could add up to a pretty penny, depending. Consider that, plus something like a 35% pay increase in a few years and significant increases after that, along with an excellent pension plan (who else even offers fully funded pensions anymore?) and 3 months vacation a year, and it is suddenly a sweater deal. Also consider also that it isn't nearly as demanding as the private sector. A local colleague at our VA is in specialty care (endocrine) and sees 6-8 patients a day. Can you imagine? I see that many before my first bathroom break in the morning, lol. It is a different world, a different kind of practice, that is very appealing to many people. She told me she does it because her twin brother was killed in military action and working for the VA is her way of giving something back to service men and women. I doubt she is the only one motivated by such sentiments.

Jules A, MSN · Jul 5, 2013

I'm sure it is different in different areas and specialties but there was no tuition reimbursement for NPs in the job I was offered. They also do not offer a pension any longer. The FERS program is basically a generously matched 401k. The large amount of time off is excellent if you can get it but that was rare when I was a VA RN. The NP I know who works in outpatient psych is scheduled to see 16 patients a day so equal to what I see in the private sector.

I did love working with vets although I found the overall atmosphere pretty stagnant as there seems to be no weeding out of the horrible employees that were fairly abundant, again in my experience. Definitely pros and cons but at this point I'm making $50,000 a year more so it is a no brainer. They really need to get with the times and start offering wages comparable to the private sector if they want to hire and retain good NPs.

LisaNP · Oct 1, 2014

NPAlby, did you wind up taking the VA job in Phoenix? I just interviewed there and they offered me 12k less than what I am making now. I am just wondering if it is worth it to get in the door. I am not a psych NP- I would be in primary care.

olvr00 · Oct 2, 2014

This maybe another topic. Any info on working for the state, compared to the VA? (salary, benefits, etc.?) Thank you. :-)

RN4KU · Mar 11, 2015

I am wondering this myself, currently I am a VA Nurse in Harlingen, TX. The pay scale for nurses is what I consider high. I started as a Nurse 2 step 2 making 74K, I was promoted to a Nurse 3 step 1 after 1 year, and no I am going on 5 years and I make 91k. So my salary is really high, but I am starting this fall 2015 a Post MSN FNP certificate program. Which will take 18 months to complete. Based on what I see it almost looks like a make more as and RN than I would an NP. I know our local ER pays $90.00 per hour for NP's and PA's but not sure I want to leave my federal job. 90.00 per hour is amazing no benefits and its the ER. i love my federal benefits so not sure what I will do. I miss helping people which is why I am going to finish my FNP Certificate, but not looking forward to having to leave my federal job.

Nelli17 · Sep 27, 2017

Lisa,

Did you take the offer at the VA? THey offered me 99K with 4 years exp as FNP and new Psych NP with almost 12 years as RN plus MSN in nsg leadership- GA

RN4KU · Sep 27, 2017

This is an old thread, Still have not started program but starting finally next month.

Anyways Nelli17, APRN right now I am an RN Nurse 3 step 3 making 94k, so that offer is shockingly low to me and very disappointing. The pay scale does change drastically depending on location and I don't know which VA system that salary is for, but it seems very low, especially being Psych, the VA needs Psych Nurses. Do you feel the offer is fair or you feel it is low? I do have access to the VA pay scale based on locality, I assume it is published. You can PM if you want. I had not decided if I would stay at the VA upon graduation, but not with that pay.

Lisa,
Did you take the offer at the VA? THey offered me 99K with 4 years exp as FNP and new Psych NP with almost 12 years as RN plus MSN in nsg leadership- GA