Anyone else get into the VA Versant Program for 2009??

tmartinez.RN.BSN · Mar 23, 2009

hi there! I'm not doing Versant, but I did get hired as a new grad nurse at the VA Palo Alto. I'll be working in the MSICU. Someone I met in an EKG class is doing Versant...she'll be in the MSICU with me. I heard there's a good number of you. And it's a great program for you to become familiar with the hospital and system.

What unit will you be on?

blessed_RN · Mar 24, 2009

Congrats to both of you for getting into the Versant Program and being hired as a new grad nurse. Both opportunities are very hard to come by and it is encouraging to know the federal system is willing to give 'newer' nurses the opportunity to train, learn and work. Perhaps this may be the very beginning of the gov lifting the hiring freeze which I understand has been in place since late summer 2008.

SarahRN32485, For some reason, I couldn't find any info about the Versant Program on the VA website specifically for PA. Can you give me the direct link to the web page? Should funds allow for an August program I would hope to at least come acrose a page which may say 'we are not currently accepting applications for the Summer 2009 ... but please continue to check back.'

tmartinezRN.BSN, how did you get in as a new grad nurse? Were you already employed at the VA in another position or did you 'know' someone who might have passed your resume along? My friend who is an RN at VAPAHCS says it's very hard to come in as a new grad nurse. She recently completed her bridge program from an LVN to RN.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

tmartinez.RN.BSN · Mar 24, 2009

blessed_RN: thank you for the congrats! i am so happy to have been given these opportunities...we ALL know how hard they are to come by these days. back in nursing school, i did 2 semesters of med-surg at the VA Palo Alto. i had worked as a nursing assistant in LTC before & during school, but I wanted to work as a NA at the VA in med-surg. My clinical instructor (who was a manager at the VA in another ICU) ended up passing my app & resume to the manager in the higher level ICU. I worked as an NA in that ICU from July 07-May 08. I heard about the VALOR program (gives student nurses an opportunity to work with a preceptor for the summer). So I did that from May 08-Dec 08 (they extended my appointment, which I was grateful for). During my VALOR appt, the nurse manager approached me a couple times with interest that she wanted to hire me as a staff nurse when the time came. She had already given my name to HR & the nurse exec even before I had taken boards b/c she knew the freeze was still in effect.

So that's my story. I think the freeze has lifted now b/c about 2-3 wks ago HR finally got a hold of me and we got the ball rolling. So I should be starting in the next 2 weeks or so, hopefully.

Hope that answered your questions. Sorry for the novel. haha. and G'luck to you!

rchamp59 · Mar 24, 2009

congratulations! I heard that there are only two new grad classes per year at the VA. do you know when they are? Congratulations again. I am in Baltimore but miss California. I will graduate in May with my MPH, but received my BSN and passed the NCLEX almost a year ago. Do they look for people fresh out of nursing school?

healinghands209 · Mar 24, 2009

Congrats to everyone who got in- I must say I'm jealous! Like so many others I graduated in December with a BSN and still no job. Blessed RN- I just applied to the Palo Alto VA new grad program. The application is up, just search Palo Alto VA, go to nursing opportunities and you should find New Grad Program 2009. The program doesn't start until sometime in the fall though. Good luck to everyone.

Manang Biday · Apr 23, 2009

After the very common new grad struggle I finally got into a new grad program at the VA in Palo Alto. I'm just beginning the ever lasting paperwork process, but I'm so excited to be employed- i'd sign papers all day if I had to!
Did anyone else get in? Do you know if the program is starting the 13th or 27th? Any ideas on the base pay (I should be finding out next week)? How many new grads were admitted? What unit did you get hired on? =)
Just trying to find out some extra info and wish everyone else congratulations!! Looking forward to meeting you all!

The program starts in the Fall right? When did you apply? Did you have to submit other documents besides the application form online?

I was going to apply to their Feb 2009 program, but did not take the NCLEX in time. Their application included other documents that needed to be sent back by mail, and I was wondering if it's the same process this time.

Thanks!

Scooby-Dooby-Doo · Jan 9, 2012

blessed_RN: thank you for the congrats! i am so happy to have been given these opportunities...we ALL know how hard they are to come by these days. back in nursing school, i did 2 semesters of med-surg at the VA Palo Alto. i had worked as a nursing assistant in LTC before & during school, but I wanted to work as a NA at the VA in med-surg. My clinical instructor (who was a manager at the VA in another ICU) ended up passing my app & resume to the manager in the higher level ICU. I worked as an NA in that ICU from July 07-May 08. I heard about the VALOR program (gives student nurses an opportunity to work with a preceptor for the summer). So I did that from May 08-Dec 08 (they extended my appointment, which I was grateful for). During my VALOR appt, the nurse manager approached me a couple times with interest that she wanted to hire me as a staff nurse when the time came. She had already given my name to HR & the nurse exec even before I had taken boards b/c she knew the freeze was still in effect.
So that's my story. I think the freeze has lifted now b/c about 2-3 wks ago HR finally got a hold of me and we got the ball rolling. So I should be starting in the next 2 weeks or so, hopefully.
Hope that answered your questions. Sorry for the novel. haha. and G'luck to you!

Hi tmartinez.RN.BSN,

I'm so proud of you that you got in VALOR! What an amazing experience that must have been! I've also heard of it through my mom who works there at the VA PA too, and that's actually what I wanted to ask/talk to you about.

I'm going to apply for the VALOR program this coming Feb-March as a nursing student (if they have enough funds for it this year as I was told by the Nurse Educator*). I'm currently in nursing school at San Francisco State getting my BSN and by the time this semester ends, I'll have one more year to go until graduation in 2013. I'm in my med-surg rotation at the moment. I've also been volunteering at the VA PA for over a semester and even before I was in nursing school too. I'm currently with nursing services volunteering with my mom's boss and her co-workers near the anesthesiology dept at 3C. I've heard about other opportunities for students such as SCEP, STEP, and SEEP but I'm looking for something more nursing-oriented, so I found out about VALOR. I'm doing all my clinicals at the SF VA until graduation, but I found out that the SF VA does not have a VALOR program. Even my SF VA log-in works in the VA PA when I volunteer with the nurses.

How competitive is the application process? How many apply and are accepted? What can you tell me some advice on? How was the interview process? Sorry for the questions but I would like to know more because not many people whom I know know much about the VALOR program or how the process work.