N2B8U

I'm more than ready to start! This is gonna sound silly but does anyone know if the scrubs are color coded for department or can we wear whatever? I forgot to ask. And it's probably VA specific anyway, but thought I'd throw it out there.

klleo27 (I don't have enough post to pm yet, sorry), First of all don't give up; it took me four months to get hired. It can be tedious. Second, my resume was four pages, a combination of paragraph with detailed bullets (described every time of patient/illness/injury I have experience with as well as every piece of equipment, mentoring, charge nurse duties, etc.). They like those resumes chock full of everything. Under my education I listed every class I had for my degrees (AAS, BSN, some graduate work). I submitted over 50 applications, was referred for 15, and interviewed for 5 positions. The other 4 positions went to in-house people who had first dibs but I landed the 5th which is a float ICU/PCU. I don't mind because I've been working full time toward my graduate degree (which I have ended up not liking and need to change directions) and I need a refresher anyway. If you look back a few pages, then you can see the ROI I posted with nursing questions they want to know the answers to. If you can answer any of those in your resume, then that would be helpful too! Good Luck! N2B8U

Hi all- Just got the call with the firm offer. Start 9/23/13. Yay!! They kept right on schedule with the Wednesday call. Good luck everyone who is still waiting!

BSNRN2013, Yes, my file went to the board over a week ago per HR email. I thought they needed the clearances first but maybe not. I'm not counting on 9/23/13, I was surprised it could be so soon. LOL. I fully expect to have to wait longer.

Newest update on me: had physical, labs (no drug screen), fingerprints, and badge made today. Was told as soon as everything is back, which she said could probably be done by next week, the next orientation I could do was on September 23. So, now to wait some more.

I finished both my Vet-Pro and E-quip yesterday. I've only held three nursing jobs, but there was like a month or two in between. Making sure I had all of the dates covered was the hardest. Total I think it took me four hours. One of the HR reps told me that the references the first HR rep called would be the ones used for Vet-Pro, so, they won't have to do that part. I'm hoping the remaining stuff won't take too long. Also, HR had me resubmit my application and declaration of federal employment via fax. Once she had those she said she was gonna run a background check to make sure "I hadn't robbed any banks recently" (she was joking). I guess that was a pre-lim to the official one.

I noticed a couple of postings for RN now where the salary is not indicated. I wonder why that is?

Received tentative offer from the VA today. Now for VetPro, E-quip, physical, and fingerprints. YAY!! I'm surprised that things have kept on a weekly schedule. The HR rep requested I call to set up my appointment for fingerprints and physical no later than 9/4. Anyone else with any news?

Hi Evgeneia, I'm in the Appalachian Mountain region of 3 bordering states: KY, OH, and WV. Our market is saturated with nurses. One of the largest hospitals just made their third round of lay-offs (this one not related to economy, but business practices). The jobs I'm interviewing for will require me to move at a minimum 2 hours to a maximum 4 hours away from my home of last 24 years. I've tried locally since May and nada. Like I said, at this point I'm just happy to be able to start a job while I wait on VA. I'm hoping they will allow me to stay on prn just to keep my skill set polished as his is with a large teaching facility.

Hi Elisha! Yes, I continued to interview other places due to the timeframe with the VA. My problem turned out to be the public sector has been as slow, if not slower than what I have experienced with the VA. Everything has gotten ridiculous in trying to find a job since the last time I interviewed (over a decade ago). I have been in graduate school full time for a year (wasn't allowed to work per grad school requirements) and my husband has been laid off, again, for a month this time so far. I really need $$ coming in. One of the things I have noticed, in my little part of the country, is several hospitals have been laying off full time employees only to rehire them, if they are willing, to work PRN so they won't have to offer healthcare or any other bennies. So, the market around here is saturated. The salaries in the public sector weren't all that great to begin with and now this on top of it all. I am hoping the VA will continue with the schedule it seems to be following, notifying me of each step each week. I have confirmation my transcripts have been received; I am relieved as I was very worried since at no point were they physically in my hands to "know" they were delivered. LOL. I would say I wish the VA would hurry as the more I think about this other position, the more I am dreading it. The area is what I love (PACU) but, my gut is telling me I won't be happy. I really want the position with the VA. My Dad was a Vietnam Vet and a lot of my family members are military (either active or in the reserves) and they are partly the reason I have changed my major in graduate school. I want to feel like I am giving something back to them since they have given up so much for me.

Update: Today is exactly one week since I submitted the above paperwork. I just hung up the phone with the recruiter who has now requested a copy of my transcripts. I clarified electronic vs snail mail; either is acceptable as long as the document is labeled with "degree awarded". The recruiter wanted to know if I had heard from HR yet and I informed him 'no'. He said to please be patient, but the HR will be calling me to discuss the rest of the process. He said that they have been processing a lot of applicants (there were several positions on USAJOBS for various areas for this VA posted within a few days of each other and closed within the same close time frame). The recruiter went on to say, again, to be patient and HR should be calling me soon. I also asked if there were any other items I could gather for him and he said, "No, madam, not that I am aware of at this time. These are the only things I have been asked to obtain for the boarding process." It's looking like the process with this VA is for the recruiter to call at each stage to personally request certain items. Could be an effort to improve the overall manner of the hiring process. I know there has been some new individuals come into this facility, including the manager I interviewed with. She had informed me that she was new to her position. I asked if she had transferred from within and she said, "No. I was hired from outside the VA. I'm learning the whole process too." I hope this info will help others along the way, especially the ROI questions. Maybe if you have this to get an idea of what is needed, then it will save you time. As a side note, I'm in somewhat of a pickle. Like many of you I had applied to various places and was offered and accepted another position 3 days before getting a call from the VA. I have been in graduate studies full time for the last year, so, I haven't been working. However, I am in need of getting cash flowing again. I don't want to burn any bridges with the recent offer and I am supposed to begin orientation next week. Given the known timelines we have, it still may be a while before I hear anything "official" one way or the other. I don't have a tentative offer, only the aforementioned email. Even though I have gotten myself into a situation, I'm so thankful to be in this position. It has taken me from May until now to even get to this point in the public sector. I don't ever remember things being this slow in civilian hospitals, but, the HR at this one could probably compete with some of the HRs others have described at the VA. Have a great day everyone!

Hi Everyone! Here's is what the email said: You are being considered for a Registered Nurse position at the VAMC. This does not mean that I am offering the position to you but things look favorable that our Human Resource Department could offer you a position once all steps are completed. HR will contact you in the next week to discuss with you the process for hiring. One of the items that we need is a REPORT IF INTERVIEW (ROI). This is a document that you will complete and return to me as soon as you can, or if you would like, we can schedule a time to complete in my office. The ROI is a tool that is used to help set your salary so please answer all questions thoroughly. To assist you in completing this form, I have also included a completed sample of a similar document that you can use for reference (Experienced example Report of interview) and does not need to be returned. In addition to the ROI, please supply us with your most recent evaluation, it can positively affect your salary. Please review the "Tool for Prospective RN hires". After reviewing, please make sure that your experiences are reflected in your resume or you provide documentation to support your experiences, such as a copy of your certifications. Then the ROI itself: REPORT OF INTERVIEW RN 1. NAME: _________________________________________ DATE: __________ 2. ADDRESS: __________________________________ PHONE: (H) ____________ (B) ____________ 3. SS# __________________________ LICENSE: ____________________ 4. EDUCATION: ______________________________________________________ 5. YEARS RN EXPERIENCE: ____________________________________________ 6. WORK HISTORY: DATES: EMPLOYER/POSITION/REASON FOR LEAVING: a. b. c. d. Qualification Standards Practice Dimension Criteria: Practice, Ethics and Resource Utilization 1. Practice A. Describe the patient populations that you have cared for: B. Describe how you have developed care plans utilizing the nursing process: C. How have you guided/directed other members of your care team? 2. Ethics A. Describe a time in which you had to identify and resolve an ethical issue in your practice: B. How do you support/enhance client self determination? C. How do you safeguard privacy and confidentiality? D. Describe a time when you acted as a patient advocate: 3. Resource Utilization A. How have you assisted clients in identifying and securing needed/appropriate resources? B. Describe how you delegate care in a safe, efficient and cost effective manner: Professional Development Dimension Criteria: Education and Career Development, Performance 1. Education and Career Development A. What do you do to assure your knowledge and skills are appropriate for your practice setting? 2. Performance A. Describe any self assessment or identification of your own learning needs that you have undertaken: B. How have you participated in the performance evaluation of co-workers/colleagues? Collaboration Dimension Criteria: Collaboration, Collegiality 1. Collaboration A. Give an example of how you have utilized a group process by collaborating with other members of a team to resolve a problem affecting patient care. 2. Collegiality A. Give an example of how you have provided feedback on the practice of others: B. Describe how you have shared knowledge with colleagues/students: Scientific Inquiry Dimension Quality of Care, Research 1. Quality of Care A. Describe your involvement in quality improvement activities: What was the outcome of that quality improvement activity? 2. Research A. Give an example of how you have used research findings to validate or change your practice: WORK PREFERENCE 1. Areas of clinical interest: 2. Full time ______________ Part-time__________ Hrs/wk _____________ 3. Shift: 8 hr ____________ 12 hr ____________ Day/Rotation _________ Evening __________ 4. Date Available: ___________________________________________ 5. Units toured: _____________________________________________ Overall Recommendations: Interviewer: _________________________________________ Date: _________ _________________________________________ Date: _________ REFERENCES: 1. 2. 3. Maybe this used to fall under another label, such as the KSA, I'm not sure. I thought if I posted it, then maybe someone would recognise if they had switched the name of the document. Will keep you updated on my progress. Thank you for answering my questions. N2B8U

I'm not sure if I'm following the same path with the VA as the previous posters. I applied on July 15th, interviewed July 25th, and received a phone call from a nurse recruiter last Monday 8/12 that informed me "they were not extending me a job offer, but the conditions look favorable if I complete the paperwork then the HR office could extend an offer". I was also sent an email with the same information as the phone call plus a packet of questions called an ROI (Review of Interview) that I was instructed to return after I had thoroughly filled them out (ended up with 30 pages) in addition to any recent performance reviews. The email stated I should complete and return them asap and that I should hear from HR within a week. I haven't found any info on this ROI, which in my opinion, closely resembled the questions asked of me during my interview. I've not been asked to do anything additional except provide the phone numbers of my references. Does this sound like an "expected process" for the VA? It seems like they each have their own way of handling things. LOL.