GS Nursing?

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jun 7, 2004

Is anyone familiar with being a GS nurse for the government? My husband is in the Military and I've heard a little about it. Just hoping that someone who is a GS nurse had some info to share. How difficult it is to be hired? How it works with being a military spouse when your husband is tranferred, will they corilate with that? TIA

I am not sure what you are referring to in relationship to a "GS Nurse." I know in the VA system, an LPN is considered a GS level and is paid based on their GS level. For RN's in the VA, you are classified as a Nurse I, II or III and paid in accordance with those levels. Each level has its own step which equates to experience and pay for that experience.

As far as getting a job ..... and I am only speaking for the VA .... you need to apply, but generally speaking, these days, there are considerable openings for nurses in most VA hospitals. Hope this helps and good luck.

zrmorgan · Jul 14, 2004

I am an ex GS nurse at an army hospital. The pay was competitive, and the working conditions were excellent. Things got a little tough, when our active duty staff were deployed to OIF, as the GS nurses had to fill the void for administrative issues temporarily until our reserve backfill was trained.

As far as applying, this took awhile for me, as I had no prior military experience / access to base etc. I sent my resume, and application (and a lot of other DA / DOD forms...you are probably familiar with)....it took about 2 months before I was called for an interview. Since you are probably already in the system with your spouse, this may expedite things for inprocessing.

We had a couple of nurses / other healthcare providers who were GS that were able to relocate with their spouses who were active duty. I am not sure, but I think that their is an understanding culture, if you will, to the hardships of being relocated due to new changes of station.

Overall, I would do it again, and actually hope to return to the same hospital after grad school. I really appreciated the professionalism, and teamwork amongst the soldiers and the civilian employees.

Hope this helps.

z

DawnEyes · Jul 15, 2004

Hi, Cali! One thing that isn't widely known...since your husband is active duty military, you receive preference over other applicants when being considered for a GS position (the other preference is if you yourself were ever active duty). I found that out when I applied for (and was accepted for) a GS CST position in Hawaii, where my husband is stationed. As for the conditions, zmorgan hit in on the head when it comes to military staff being deployed, it can create a bit of a crunch when it happens. But most people tend to come together very well and work with each other to get the job done. And depending on where you work, backfill nurses are sometimes sent from other military bases to help ease staffing. The patient population you would work with is pretty healthy, generally speaking.

I'm not sure what GS level you would apply for as I don't know your area, but the L&D GS nurses I work with are at GS-11 (I believe they're working on moving the position to GS-12.). There are ranks within each level called "steps" that also affect what your pay level is (example: GS-11, step 1). Your step/pay will go up the longer you stay in the system. The benefits are great (although you will get healthcare through your husband/Tri-care instead of the GS program).

And yeah, get ready for a mountain of paperwork to fill out, hehe. Just be sure to tell whoever you speak with that your husband is AD if/when you choose to apply. Even though there was a lot to do for the application, the HR person I kept in touch/spoke with was very helpful to me in getting everything done. As for transferring, it shouldn't be a problem at all with transferring with your husband as you all PCS. Just before our PCS to Hawaii, I didn't check the web to see what positions were open (though this may help you get an idea of what's there). I called the Tripler GS liason, let her know I was on my way there with my husband and was interested in working there, and she put me in touch with the right people.

After I finish nursing school, GS is definitely an option I will be looking back into. Overall I think the environment is very nice.

Also, here are some links you may like to check out. I'm assuming your hubby is MC? If so, I think their civilian personnel office would be the best bet for transferring with him. The SITES page will give you, quite literally, all of the information you will need for a future PCS when you get orders (info on a new station, phone numbers, what military health care facilities are available, etc.). Just need your hubby's info to access the page, it's a gov't protected site. Clicking on *Select Installation* should get you going. They just revamped the site. I haven't had a chance to go through it all, but it looks pretty nice, and is very user friendly. Hope this helps some!

USMC Civilian Personnel: https://lnweb1.manpower.usmc.mil/CCLD/index.htm

SITES website: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sites/index.jsp

rnav · Jul 18, 2004

...since your husband is active duty military, you receive preference over other applicants when being considered for a GS position (the other preference is if you yourself were ever active duty).

My wife will soon be going into USAF nursing. I am also an RN-BSN and have 12 years prior service in another career field. Do they combine these preferences, or just take one?

I'm not sure what GS level you would apply for as I don't know your area, but the L&D GS nurses I work with are at GS-11 (I believe they're working on moving the position to GS-12.).

I have seven years experience, with the last two in the Recovery Room. Any idea what level I would start at?

USMC Civilian Personnel: https://lnweb1.manpower.usmc.mil/CCLD/index.htm
SITES website: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sites/index.jsp

The USMC Civilian Personnel site is very helpful. As for the SITES website, my wife is currently in the National Guard, but I wasn't sure if that authorizes me to access it. Maybe I'll have to wait until she gets her assignment. The warning about unauthorized use looked pretty scary! :uhoh21:

Thanks for all the info! Anything else you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Trauma Columnist · Jul 18, 2004

If you are the spouse of an active duty member (any service) spouse preference is given! I have worked as a nurse in the VA system (I'm also a Navy vet myself and my husband was on active duty for 23 years in the Air Force). It is the best way to go with the frequent moves - you keep your retirement points, your pay and if at all possible your level of position. Good luck...contact the civilian personnel office at the base where your spouse will be assigned. Some places in the states don't have a military hospital but can locate you a position at another nearby base...

DawnEyes · Jul 18, 2004

Rnav...yes, they do combine the preferences. Since your wife is going into the AF, this site may be good for you to check out:

USAF Civilian Personnel: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/

As for the SITES webpage, she may be able to access it with her information, wouldn't hurt to try. Worst thing that could happen is that her SSN/Name won't allow access until she's active duty. I'd give it a go. :) I think that unauthorized access stuff is meant for people trying to hack the site or something.

I don't know what GS level you would start out at, it differs depending on your specialty and the amount of experience you have. I would think it would be somewhere near GS-11 though.

Good luck!

Dawn

Redman · Jul 27, 2004

Something alot of people dont realize it that the Marine Corps doesn't have any of its own medical personel. They use the Navy Corpsman, I am not sure if this also is the case with nursing personel working in hospitals but I would suspect it is do to them being staffed entirly with Navy personel. I was a Navy Corpsman for 9 yrs myself and spent most of my time with the USMC.

So you may try the navy personel sites rather than the USMC sites for info.

calimarinewife · Aug 7, 2004

Thanks for your reply! It's nice to hear you had good experiences, b/c I have heard some not so nice things about VA hospitals, but I guess it varies everywhere, civilian hospitals included. Thanks again, Heather

I am an ex GS nurse at an army hospital. The pay was competitive, and the working conditions were excellent. Things got a little tough, when our active duty staff were deployed to OIF, as the GS nurses had to fill the void for administrative issues temporarily until our reserve backfill was trained.
As far as applying, this took awhile for me, as I had no prior military experience / access to base etc. I sent my resume, and application (and a lot of other DA / DOD forms...you are probably familiar with)....it took about 2 months before I was called for an interview. Since you are probably already in the system with your spouse, this may expedite things for inprocessing.
We had a couple of nurses / other healthcare providers who were GS that were able to relocate with their spouses who were active duty. I am not sure, but I think that their is an understanding culture, if you will, to the hardships of being relocated due to new changes of station.
Overall, I would do it again, and actually hope to return to the same hospital after grad school. I really appreciated the professionalism, and teamwork amongst the soldiers and the civilian employees.
Hope this helps.
z

calimarinewife · Aug 7, 2004

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the great info. I had no idea where to start to research this more and you all gave me some great advice. Thanks so much!