Anyone works at the VA Hospitals?

TallGirlAni · Apr 23, 2006

If you click on the Forums tab at the top of the page, and select "Nursing specialty forums," and then click on military nursing, you will get a forum dedicated to military/VA nursing. I have seen and read threads about the VA benefits, including the FERS retirement plan. It is a three-tiered plan, which includes pension, social security, and an investment similar to 401K, called TSP account. You can invest a certain amt up to 15% pre-tax income and you may invest it in a variety of ways. It is kind of like doing your own day-trading. They give you a pin number and you can move the money around in the various security options (bonds, etc) with a nice interest rate. I just started at the VA, but friends of mine who have been employed longer, swear that they have been doing well in their accts with their invested money. This is just a brief overview, and if you read the other posts you will get a better picture. As for part-time, our hospital has part-timers and I'm not sure what their benefits are like. For full-time, I have blue cross blue shield basic and I pay 40 dollars every 2 weeks for single coverage. This money comes out before taxes do. There is no deductible in my plan, and copays for doctor visits are 20 dollars, I believe.

I would definitely get in touch with a nurse recruiter at your local VA to facilitate the hiring process. She or he will be able to answer your questions and send you a packet of information with all of the benefits.

The nurse recruiter will also get you in contact with the managers of the floors you would want to work on in order to make your application proces go more smoothly and quickly.

The VA is government, so be prepared for a very detailed employment process--fingerprinting, extensive background checks (you must fill out a several page form including a list of people that they will contact for personal references, etc).

But, all in all, the benefits are worth it, (5 weeks a year vacation, 13 sick days to start off per year, for full-time nurses). And, the veteran patients are a wonderful population to serve. I am a recent graduate nurse and I made the right choice in choosing to work for the VA system.

By the way, they also have a program called VANEEP, in which if you are a full-time employee for a year (anyone, including non-patient care personnel), they will pay for you to go to school for LPN or RN, excuse you from your present job while you are going to school and still pay you for that job. That way you can study, get paid, go to school for free, and not have to worry about working. You must, however, promise 2 or 3 years (I'm not sure) after you graduate. I wish that I had learned about this when I first started going to school. Now, i have a mass of student loans to pay back. Good luck job hunting!

moliuchick, RN · Apr 24, 2006

If you click on the Forums tab at the top of the page, and select "Nursing specialty forums," and then click on military nursing, you will get a forum dedicated to military/VA nursing. I have seen and read threads about the VA benefits, including the FERS retirement plan. It is a three-tiered plan, which includes pension, social security, and an investment similar to 401K, called TSP account. You can invest a certain amt up to 15% pre-tax income and you may invest it in a variety of ways. It is kind of like doing your own day-trading. They give you a pin number and you can move the money around in the various security options (bonds, etc) with a nice interest rate. I just started at the VA, but friends of mine who have been employed longer, swear that they have been doing well in their accts with their invested money. This is just a brief overview, and if you read the other posts you will get a better picture. As for part-time, our hospital has part-timers and I'm not sure what their benefits are like. For full-time, I have blue cross blue shield basic and I pay 40 dollars every 2 weeks for single coverage. This money comes out before taxes do. There is no deductible in my plan, and copays for doctor visits are 20 dollars, I believe.
I would definitely get in touch with a nurse recruiter at your local VA to facilitate the hiring process. She or he will be able to answer your questions and send you a packet of information with all of the benefits.
The nurse recruiter will also get you in contact with the managers of the floors you would want to work on in order to make your application proces go more smoothly and quickly.
The VA is government, so be prepared for a very detailed employment process--fingerprinting, extensive background checks (you must fill out a several page form including a list of people that they will contact for personal references, etc).
But, all in all, the benefits are worth it, (5 weeks a year vacation, 13 sick days to start off per year, for full-time nurses). And, the veteran patients are a wonderful population to serve. I am a recent graduate nurse and I made the right choice in choosing to work for the VA system.
By the way, they also have a program called VANEEP, in which if you are a full-time employee for a year (anyone, including non-patient care personnel), they will pay for you to go to school for LPN or RN, excuse you from your present job while you are going to school and still pay you for that job. That way you can study, get paid, go to school for free, and not have to worry about working. You must, however, promise 2 or 3 years (I'm not sure) after you graduate. I wish that I had learned about this when I first started going to school. Now, i have a mass of student loans to pay back. Good luck job hunting!

Wow, there are a lot of good informations right there. Thanks for replying to my posting.

I will definitely call the nurse recruiter and find out more about the VA system. The place that I am currently working for, I have to pay about $200 per pay check for the entire family and I have a huge deductable. I still have not met my deductable at this point. I think insurance is a joke.

If VA provide insurance for part timers, I will for sure work part time there.

By the way, what is your patient to nurse ratio? :idea:

TallGirlAni · Apr 25, 2006

nurse:patient ration depends on floor.

I would on post-surgical/ortho inpatient floor and we have 4 patients. Also, RNs have to cover the LPNs patients, so along with my patients, I may have to cover 2 or 3 LPN patients. The RN must take off orders, hang IV abx, hang the 1st primary bag, push all IV meds, listen to heart and lung sounds, chart them, and make all phone call to doctors and take the verbal orders. Sounds like a lot, but if the patients are assigned properly, the LPN would get the more stable patient, whereas the RN would get the one that requires most of the above. Depending on census or staffing, it could be a jam packed day, or a good day. If the census is low, and there are extra nurses, no nurse is sent home (as some private hospitals do). You may be floated or the nurse:patient ratio decreases. We also have BCMA (bar code medication administration) where you scan the patient's barcode wristband, and the medication list pops up on a laptop on top of a wheeled medcart (with drawers for the pt's meds). You just wheel to the door, scan the pt, scan the meds (doses are listed, parameters for when to hold the meds, etc) are given, thus greatly reducing the rate of med errors. If you do not take shortcuts and do this properly, it can save you and the pts a lot of problems. You even have to scan the IV bags before hanging them. Overall, a great system with up-to-date computerized charting (expediting the charting/documentation). Since it is computerized, you have all the nurses' notes, doctors' notes, Therapy, Dietary notes, orders, Med lists, patient problems, etc, at your fingertips and at the click of a mouse. No more transcribing errors or looking at horrible doctors' handwriting. Wouldn't trade this job for anything.

Happy job hunting! Let me know how it turns out.