Is it possible for a new grad to be hired at a VA?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Aug 5, 2017

You should look at the openings on USAjobs.gov. I think most positions require experience, though. I have rarely seen anything for new grads at VA facilities.

boywithacoin, BSN · Aug 6, 2017

I was hired at the VA as a new grad RN, though I had been a VALOR student nurse extern at a VA in a different state, and had done my senior preceptorship at a different VA in an even different state. Other nurses on my floor were also hired as new grads with no VA experience. The VA likes to hire folks with VA experience and it helped get me boarded at a higher step than the other new grad RNs without it. You can also look at USAjobs for SNT (student nurse tech) jobs while you're still in school, and/or GNT (graduate nurse tech) jobs when you've graduated. I don't think every facility offers these positions, but at mine, SNTs act pretty much like CNAs with a little more leeway for practicing nursing skills, and GNTs are hired on for orientation/residency prior to becoming licensed (or sometimes after), so they're usually working under the license of a designated preceptor for a few months prior to getting hired on as a full-fledged RN.

KSRNBSN · Aug 7, 2017

Hello! I was a VALOR intern and hired on as a new grad through their RN Residency Program. I'm not sure if this is available everywhere, but it is tailored specifically to new nurse graduates. I would ask and see if this is available at your VA. I do think you have a good chance of getting hired on since you already know the environment and charting. Good luck!

caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN · Aug 7, 2017

Make good connections while you're there. Talk to your preceptor, talk to their nurse manager, ask if they ever hire new grads, what the requirements are, etc. When I did my transition to practice experience at the VA, my preceptor and the nurse manager both asked me if I wanted a job after I graduated. I didn't take it due to having other interests at the time, but I know of students in my class who really wanted a job there. The difference is, they went through the nurse recruiter instead of talking to the nurse manager directly.

sspears · Aug 30, 2018

I graduated last fall but didn't start looking for work until this spring so I could focus on my first few terms in my PMHNP program. After applying in March and going through all the hoops over the summer, I will start work next month with no paid nursing experience and no VA experience. So yes, it is definitely possible and the odds are probably much higher with so much VA experience under your belt.

Guest1030015 · Sep 1, 2018

Our facility hires new grads all the time, typically through VALOR student or Nurse Resident programs.

Pizzaluvr · May 2, 2019

On 8/6/2017 at 5:52 PM, KSRNBSN said:
Hello! I was a VALOR intern and hired on as a new grad through their RN Residency Program. I'm not sure if this is available everywhere, but it is tailored specifically to new nurse graduates. I would ask and see if this is available at your VA. I do think you have a good chance of getting hired on since you already know the environment and charting. Good luck!

Hi! You were a part of the post-bacc nurse residency program at the VA? If so, can you please share how your experience was? Did you have a Monday-Friday schedule and rotate around different areas? You can also message me directly if you'd like. Thank you!