Anyone work for the VA?

Hi Congrats,

Yes I do, I am going on my second yr. as a VA nurse, unfortunately, I don't have much info on the ER specifically. I do have friends in the ER and they love it. My experience so far has been very favorable. I started out in Spinal Cord Injury Unit, then I relocated out of state to another VA and they didn't have a SCI unit so now I am in Hospice unit. My area of interest is really hospice, I have always had a passion so I was thrilled when I was accepted in their inpatient hospice program. I am an LPN working toward my BSN. Working for the govmn't has it's benefits, I find them to be pretty competitive with the secular setting. They do pay for loans as a new hire and they have programs should you choose to return to school for higher education. They really encourage education. The Rn's have much more opportunities and can basically work any ward, one thing I love about the VA is that they are willing to train you in almost any area. We have LPNs and RN student nurses that are actually hired per an hourly wage until they graduate, they rotate all over the hospital even ICU. They choose their own schedules it is very flexible for students. NA's there are highly skilled too, they do a lot, just as much as LPNs with the exceptiong of medication administration and IVs. As an employee the benefits are good, the leave time and retire plan alone is worth looking into. They do have their problems, but it is not anything unreasonable for any health care organization today. I have witnessed exellent care provided to the Vets. Not anything as what we hear in the media, our nurses work so hard to provide quality care and sometimes not under the best conditions. We have trouble with staffing, favoritism and grade advancement. I have met some nurses that started out as staff nurses and are now Associate Chiefs or educators. Advancement opportunities are there, you just must be very diplomatic in your approach when it come to such matters. I think no matter where you choose to work, your career is going to be what you make it. You get out what you put in to it. I have no military background but, I can say that I really have a sense of pride serving the veterans. That has been my main motivation for working there and I think that is why the negative side of working for the govmn't doesn't bother me as much. I am doing what I set out to do, good or bad, I am living up to my commitment and dedication. I like that feeling. Things aren't always rosey but, neither is nursing it is hard work, but very gratifying. If you are not prepared to do all you call to get the job done, then the VA may not be for you. But, if you are up to the challenge I say go for it. You won't know unless you experience it for yourself. Relocating has taught me yet another benefit, working for the VA gives you great mobility without losing anything. You can just transfer to any VA anywhere in the country they are stationed.

Again, working for the govmn't is a lot different from anything I have experienced in my 10 yrs of nursing.....

It reminds me of an old saying, I once heard among soliders...

There is the right way, the wrong way and the Army way. Well that is a true statement. That is kinda what it is like, the VA has their own way of doing things. Best Wishes.....Good Luck

Thanks for the honest assessment. I am interviewing at MPLS VAMC next week for a new grad position. I am really looking forward to starting in June....

Hi, I am a new RN (passed my boards 2.5 weeks ago) and I work at my local VA as a Staff Nurse I on the Medical Floor. I love working for the VA and love serving the vets. I cannot compare it to working for the private sector as I have not worked for any other hospital than the VA. I did work as a Student Nurse Tech for this particular VA and they allowed me to pick and choose my hours and they paid great! It was the right choice for me. I have graduated with my ASN degree and they are already talking to me about going on and getting my BSN. The VA will pay for your continuing education but you have to apply and go through the application/acceptance process. I haven't met a nurse yet they turned down at my facility.

I take immense pride in serving the Vets and really feel I am returning the favor of service by serving our Vets. I am impressed with the level of care and treatment our vets receive. I even told my father to start utilizing the local VA for his outpatient treatment as I feel he'll get great care!

It is the goverment however and the goverment has its way of doing things, however, I believe it would be that way in any organization. This is a midlife career change for me and I spent 25 years working is sales and marketing for Corporate America and it is all the same. Another reason I chose the VA was for the goverment benefits. You start off with 5 weeks of vacation and a retirement plan. Great health care benefits and insurance.

Good luck to you in your decision.

How do you get a job at the VA? Do you just talk to their nurse recruitment office like any other hospital, or are there other pathways involved since it's a government job? I live in NYC and I'm a 10 minute walk from the VA Hospital and would love to learn more about it. I only hear good things.

Hi, I am currently working as a Student Nurse Tech at a VA. I am still deciding whether or not I want to work there when I graduate. Yeah, the pay is higher than hospitals around here, the benefits and vacation cannot be beat. However, our hospital does not really have a good orientation program from new grads. Also, our VA kinda has a bad rep, a lot of our instructors try to encourage us not to work there, for various reasons. To me, getting good experience is more important than $$$. I guess it just depends on the facility, maybe the one in your area is better!

I worked for the VA for quite a few years until I moved to a city that didn't have one. The five weeks of vacation for RNs is nice and I miss that. The retirement benefits are pretty decent. You need to check out the specific VA that you are interested in, talk to the people who work there because they are all different in the way they are administered and the way they treat their employees. If the employees seem relatively happy then I would go for it.

I met with the Nurse Recruiter to get my first job as a student nurse tech. The VA here locally hired about 10 Student nurse techs and then began recruiting us for RN positions. My VA has just started an intensive orientation program (16 weeks!). We spend 1-2 days per week in their Nurse Education program and the remaining time working on our floor/unit with a preceptor. Every VA is different like the previous poster mentioned, however everyone will have to go through a Fed. Gov't security background check.

I was glad to see this post on here. I have been recently questioning the same thing. My father has been trying to persuade me to apply to the local VA hospital in our area. My problem is that I have seen nothing postive at the hospital when I have gone with him. What I see is a bunch of disabled vets that are being seen like a heard of cows. Sorry for the analogy, but I don't know how else to describe it. The doctor doesn't seem to know what he is doing and my father's care has not been up to par. I know this is just ONE hosptial or VA facility, but it certainly has left a bitter taste in my mouth. One the other hand his dr at the VA clinic is MUCH better. I would love to work with him in his office, but the have no openings and to get in I would have to apply to the VA hospital and that is a place that I couldn't work. I just don't agree with the way that our vets are being treated there (they deserve so much better). My father keeps telling me that I should apply and that I could change things - I quess I don't feel that 'I' could do that.

But anyways! I know that this post is quite negative, but please remember that this is the experience at the local VA hospital and that my father has had better care at the VA clinic in our area. And perhaps my view of things is 'obscured' because it is my father's care that I don't think is 'up-to-par'. I should also had that the nurses that we've dealt with were just fine!

I am VERY GLAD that so many of you have experienced just the opposite!!! I just wish that we ALL had the same experience because I would find it very rewarding to be able to help serve those that have served our country - they deserve nothing but the best!

Hi Onyx77,

I know exactly how you feel. I am the daughter of a Vietnam vet I witnessed the care or lack of during my father's life. I decided a long time ago that I would play a very smart part in the solution, to our overwhelming health care crisis; by becoming a nurse and most important staying in nursing. I have witness incompetencies in various health care settings; that includes the private sector as well. I have a personal agenda here, I am now serving men and woman just like my father, ones that have served their country and are expecting the benefits for doing so. Of course we cannot control the actions of the incompetent MD's or other nurses, but as an individual I do all in my power to see that any vet in my care is treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

See as a nurse you are part of a team, and sometimes it is up to us to advocate for our vets, if we don't we are no better than those that aren't really doing as they should. I have no problem challenging any Physician. We are professionals just like they are, I was taught early in my career to express concerns of my patients no matter what the cost. The VA has a long history of mistreating Vets...way before I was even born, it is a hard job, and it may never be perfect, but I am so pleased to part of an organization were each day I can make a positive impact on those in my care. The VA is changing all the time it is still growing and learning. All you and I can do is make every effort to our best, one patient at a time.

Since my employment at the VA I've had to battle with Docs for the sake of my patients, but generally speaking most of the time they listen. Nurses are the eyes and hears for MD's and they know that. They have not always agreed with me but that ok as long as I was heard and my patient was satisfied, then I feel I have done my job. By the way the number of patients that the VA clinics see in a week is more than the law should allow. As nurses no matter where you work you are going to witness things that you may find unjust, for me, I just concentrate on what it is I can bring to this profession, and ensure that I never compromise my ethics.

Best wishes.

Thanks so much for all the replies :)

I am trying to find RNs who work at the local VA here and talk to them as well as attending their open house to get a feel for the place.