Anyone work for a verterans hospital?

IronMaiden · Sep 17, 2008

Is it also correct that if you work for the VA for at least 5 years, you will lifetime medical benefits? And that you can retire after 10 years? A nursing colleague recently hired by a VA Outpatient Clinic reported that these were part of the benefits!
Thanks,
Sage

This may have been a policy in the past, but it is not true these days. Perhaps some employees who have worked for the VA for DECADES may have been hired under those provisions....

The benefits are very good, but they're not that good!!

Anouk345 · Oct 28, 2008

I have worked at the VAMC in Denver for the past year. I applied after graduation and the entire process took about 4 weeks from sending in my application to being accepted for the job. The boarding process took another week. We are a teaching hospital and all of the residents and interns rotate in and out pretty quickly which can be difficult but it also makes for a very good learning atmosphere. 5 weeks vacation and seperate sick leave are great, as is getting paid for all federal holidays. You can move to other VA or military facilites and still retain your senority. Federal retirement benefits can't be beat either. On the units there is not so much of a push for cost containment as you can get in for profit facilites. Yes, we get some homeless, a fair number of alcoholics and a majority of our patients have PTSD, but the patients are for the most part very thankful for the care recieved and they are also very supportive and watchful of each other. Overall its a great place to work.

How long was the background investigation? I just had my fingerprints last week.

Anouk345 · Oct 30, 2008

Daytonite:
It sounds like the particular VA hospital I asked about desperately needs nurses. How could they afford the luxury of taking a month to hire if this is so? Diahni

How long did you have to wait to get your background clearance. I just had my fingerprints taken week and I did e-qip last week too.