Remote or no!

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Feb 6

I wouldn't leave a job for a non existent job. I doubt the VA will exist even close to its current form in 4 years. I would make sure you have a job before quitting. Like I would work the first job on Monday and start the new job on Tuesday. Anything federal is on very shaky ground right now.

toomuchbaloney · Feb 6

The current plan is to privatize much of the VA health system. It's not clear that they are allowed to hire at this time.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Feb 6

Can you show us that plan? I haven't seen it. There are a lot of lobbyists for private health care who want those federal dollars. Put a link to that plan.

toomuchbaloney · Feb 6

windsurfer8 said:

Can you show us that plan? I haven't seen it. There are a lot of lobbyists for private health care who want those federal dollars. Put a link to that plan.

VP Vance talked about it and it's part of P2025 that is being implemented now.

https://veteranspolicy.org/post/project-2025s-war-on-veterans/

https://michiganindependent.com/health-care/project-2025-would-cut-benefits-for-disabled-veterans/

https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2024/09/12/jd-vance-would-consider-privatizing-some-VA-services-if-elected/

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · Feb 6

I don't think the VA is going away anytime soon. For one thing, as most of us know, the private healthcare system is already overburdened, with primary care patients having to wait months for an appointment. In some areas, there are also long waits for specialist referrals and elective surgeries. Hospitals have a certain number of beds and they can't just instantly absorb a bunch of new patients. Dumping a bunch of VA patients into that system is a recipe for disaster. For all the talk of eliminating federal jobs, there has not been one mention of reducing hands on patient care (provider or nursing) positions.

For some time now, the VA has been under pressure to allow patients to seek care elsewhere if they can't get a VA appointment in a timely fashion or if they live far from a VA facility. This is already going on and some expansion of this option makes sense for a lot of veterans. However, many veterans still rely on the VA for their care and are happy with their care, despite what the media would have us believe. I have 3 veterans in my family and they are generally happy with care from the VA.

To the OP: do you have an actual job offer in hand from the VA?

Only the OP can decide if the benefits of working for the VA outweigh the advantages of working remotely.

Worst case, if they take a VA job and are then downsized, they can go back to the private sector.

FiremedicMike, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Feb 10

Not to turn this into a politics thread or to demean the clinical staff working with our vets through the VA, but anyone with experience with the VA system knows that it needs to be overhauled. We do a great disservice to our veterans with the current setup. I'm completely open to ideas for improvement, including privatizing services where appropriate.

To the OP, the "minimal vacation time" in your current role is the part that gets me. I'm nearing the twilight of my career and considering remote work - but time off would be a critical factor for me before taking a job. If it were me and I was still capable of bedside nursing with significantly more time off, I'd do that.