Do you know a nurse who worked at a Veterans Administration hospital?

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Hello everyone. I am thinking of working at a VA hospital. How are the medical and dental benefits for nurses there?

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Everyone I have ever met who worked or works for the VA is happy with the benefits and work environment. The only complaint I have heard concerns scheduling: rotating schedules for per diem, part time employees. Makes it harder to schedule at a second employer because they have one schedule this week, another schedule next week at the VA.

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
Hello everyone. I am thinking of working at a VA hospital. How are the medical and dental benefits for nurses there?

There are NO dental benefits!

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I worked at the VA in Indianapolis and loved it and I did have health and dental insurance.

However, I also know that they want BSN prepared only RNs. I was only hired there because I was a USN vet.

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TraumaRUS, I have been looking for a list of pay scales for the VA but been unable to find one. I know the VA uses a different pay scale than the GS tables. Do you know where I could find a list of VA pay scales? Thanks

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
TraumaRUS, I have been looking for a list of pay scales for the VA but been unable to find one. I know the VA uses a different pay scale than the GS tables. Do you know where I could find a list of VA pay scales? Thanks

Each facility has their own pay scale based on what the surrounding area hospitals pay. When you go on an interview, they will give you a payscale.

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Each facility has their own pay scale based on what the surrounding area hospitals pay. When you go on an interview, they will give you a payscale.

Hoozdo, there should a BASE list of pay. For GS there is a base scale, with different pay for high cost areas. The VA would be the same in this manner.

Therefore, a pay scale should exist, and that is what I am looking for - the base pay scale.

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I have never worked VA but I take my dad to the VA for care. I am impressed with that facility; it's fairly new so it looks nice, but what caught my attention as soon as I walked in the door was that the employees look happy.

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Specializes in Rehab.

In our area, the VA is like the best of the best. My granny goes there for her check-ups and I am so exceptionally impressed.

I believe it's the only facility in our area that isn't desperate for nurses.

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Each VA has it's own base pay scale. Base pay is different in every area of the country. For example Fayetteville, NC the base pay, is different than the base pay in Durham, NC. It's called locality pay and it sucks.... Worked the the VA for 30yrs.

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Specializes in ER,ICU and Progressive Care Unit,Peds.

I worked for the VA as a nurse tech while I was in nursing school and loved it. All the nurses that I worked with seem pretty happy working for the VA system. Of course they had some complaits (but every job has that). Most nurses that I worked with had worked at outside hospitals before the VA and like the VA much better.

I believe that the VA's pay was more than the outside hospitals where I worked. That was in Johnson City Tn

Good luck!

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Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.
Hello everyone. I am thinking of working at a VA hospital. How are the medical and dental benefits for nurses there?

A few of my friends from NS went to the V|A. They love it and they say the benefits are wonderful. The best thing, that ive been told, is that once you work for the VA you can transfer to any VA and keep your senority/.benefits. Awesome. I love my hospital (dont work at the VA) however, I want to travel but the benefits of staying for 5+ years are almost too good to pass up.

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