capnurse

"Downing a Duck", I just read it! Wow, a very good article. Thank you for sharing that.

Hello Everyone! I have 3yrs experience as a Med/Surg RN, I have a BSN and Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology. I'm also a 7yr military veteran. Though I really like the acute care setting where I'm at, I'm giving correctional nursing serious consideration. Every one of my fellow RN friends who knows someone that is employed in a prison as an RN say that they are very satisfied with their job. I have some questions about San Quentin Nursing that I'm hoping I can get some current information on before I apply as everything I'm finding on this website is outdated information. -What is it that you like about the facility, population, environment, staff, managers, and general support? -What is it that you don't like? -What is the level of one's autonomy there? -Does it feel like a team environment or more like individual? -Do they start all RNs at the lowest pay regardless of experience? -Is starting pay negotiable? -Does military time carry over towards retirement? -Does federal employment carry over towards retirement such as time worked at the VA? -Are there any military veteran RNs there? -Is it true that your lunch time is included in your 8hr shift, meaning you clock in at say 6a and clock out at 2p? -How does overtime work? Is it anything over 8hrs in a day or 40hrs in a week? I know OT is 1.5 (time and a half) but is OT ever 2 (double time) other than for holiday pay? -Are there any differentials and if so what are they? -Is 100% your health benefits paid for? If not, what is the monthly cost? -Are there bonuses? -How often is OT mandated? -What is a great certification to have as an applicant? -Are there opportunities for upward mobility? -How frequent and/or how challenging is it to receive pay raises? -When is the next general across the board pay increase for correctional nurses? When was the last one? -What degree of flexibility exists when needing time off? I know it's a lengthy list of questions. Your response will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

I do not know how long the process of the background check took so unfortunately I can not provide a timeline for that. Is your question is relative to you starting one month later?

I have just received my offer today to start this Monday! Wooowhooo! Congratulations to the other 11 of you! You should be receiving your calls soon.

Has anyone received a firm offer yet, following peer review board?

Hi nursie_nursie_415! Do you know if the new contracts for new hires with $10-$20/hr less has been instituted or just one of those work-place "rumors"? I have to admit, this doesn't make sense. Theoretically this could work against the facility as exceptionally qualified nurses would not bother to apply there. VA needs exceptionally qualified nurses. They contribute to the overall quality of care and reputation of care at the facility. I was under the impression that the VA offers somewhat of competitive wages of the area. Yes, they do pay a little lower but no other facility can come close to matching the benefits!

Anyone get called in for an interview yet?

In response to: Nov 14 by jayaych"I received an e-mail from VA SF saying that they have forwarded selected apps for hiring consideration. Any word on anyone else's end?" Yes, I did. However, I believe the qualified apps have been forwarded to the selecting official for consideration for interview, not hire. Did yours indicate "hiring consideration"? Either way, I'm so relieved to see the process moving forward! Congratulations on your email!

I called last week and haven't heard anything. I suspect they are quite busy and anticipate that there are many competitive applicants. The screening process is quite thorough as well so that might take up quite a bit of time. I haven't received a denial letter so I consider that to be, "No news is great news". If anyone reading this thread has received any news, acceptance letter or denial letter, please share.

Has anyone received any word yet, bad or good? We're approaching the four week mark. The last VA Palo Alto New Grad program only took 3 weeks from the closing date to get back to folks. I'm assuming SF VA has less staffing. Hopefully we hear from them soon and with good news. Good luck everyone!