VA NPs, I need some advice!

[KansasFNP]

Hi everybody. I am a nurse practitioner that works in the emergency department and have recently been offered a job opportunity in another state by the VA. I used to work for the Department of Defense at an army facility but have never worked for the VA. Can anybody give me some insight as to your experience working with the VA is a nurse practitioner? The good the bad the ugly? Before I uproot my family and move across the country to accept this position, I want to know little bit more about the VA system and how they treat their nurse practitioners. It will be a large increase in pay but money is not everything. Thoughts?

[Tony1790, BSN, MSN, NP]

When you say large increase in pay, are you coming from a RN position to a FNP position? I only ask, because generally the VA pays RN's above market and seemingly the FNP's are below market. I personally have a job offer from the VA that is across the country and I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle of moving, my base pay would increase, but so would my cost of living. What is the ER paying? My experience with the VA (as a nurse in the ER) that the VA employed providers have it better than the VA contract providers and that it's generally mon-fri, holidays off, at least that was the way they did it in my VA. The VA is a very large organization and they go by their national standards and not the local ones, so that translates into, no easy changes made, just go along to get along.

Good luck in the new job, I'd take it, you can't be fired from the VA once you are past your probation time, well it's pretty hard to be fired, anyway.....union rules.

Tony