VA Nurse Salary

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Hi! Can anyone provide me with good info on the starting pay for VA nurses? I am applying in both Kansas (Leavenworth VA) and Missouri (Kansas City, MO VA). The salary range for both locations is about $46,000-$88,000. I know salary is based on experience, but I'm wondering if most nurses start somewhere in the middle. I have about 1.5 years med-surg experience. I can easily make more than the $46k at my current hospital position, but I'd like to work for the VA and the benefits can't be beat! Just wondering if I'll have to take a big pay cut. Thanks!

Looking at a VA Nurse job in Seattle, Wa. Am a RN with 18 years experience, ICU, PACU, Preop, Tele, etc. I am a BSN. What pay should I expect to get?

Specializes in Care Coordination, General Surgery, Oncology.

You'd probably be somewhere in the Nurse II range, though I couldn't tell you what step. Depends on how well you write to your proficiencies with the Nurse Professional Standards Board. You can see the range for Nurse II (and any other level/step/grade) here under Nurse Locality Pay Schedules: Title 38 Pay Schedules - Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM). Looks like a regular FT RN Nurse II Step 1 in Seattle starts at $73,651 base rate.

Curious if anyone has any insight to new hires in the VA in 2018. I've been reading the forum but the last post is in 2017. I'm a BSN with 6 years of experience. recently hired in to the VA. I'll be finishing my masters degree in about 6 months. What would one think I'd be hired in as? Would I start at the bottom (nurse 1 step 1?) or would I come in at what I've earned experience wise? Say Nurse 2 step 3 or 4 or whatever? Does a masters degree automatically put someone at nurse 3?

Any and all comments would be wonderful. Especially if someone has any advice on how to negotiate a salary!

Thanks!!

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Curious if anyone has any insight to new hires in the VA in 2018. I've been reading the forum but the last post is in 2017. I'm a BSN with 6 years of experience. recently hired in to the VA. I'll be finishing my masters degree in about 6 months. What would one think I'd be hired in as? Would I start at the bottom (nurse 1 step 1?) or would I come in at what I've earned experience wise? Say Nurse 2 step 3 or 4 or whatever? Does a masters degree automatically put someone at nurse 3?

Any and all comments would be wonderful. Especially if someone has any advice on how to negotiate a salary!

Thanks!!

I would guess nurse II, step 4 to 6.

To be a nurse III one has to meet the qualifications. A master's degree is only one of them (waiverable). So the answer is no, a master's does not automatically mean nurse III.

Thanks for the info. Would prior service (former army) affect this as well?

Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

Not unless you were a Army Nurse.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Thanks for the info. Would prior service (former army) affect this as well?

No, unless you were a nurse corps officer. But your military time counts 1 for 1 for seniority and timed served twords retirement. The seniority counts in several ways. Vacation signup is done by seniority for example.

FYI, there is no veteran's preference points awarded for title 38 (professional, M.D., RN, etc. But, many of most managers will separate their applicants into veteran's and non veteran's. They don't dip into the non vets applicants unless they don't find what they are looking for among the vets. At least at the VA where I worked in Minneapolis.

Specializes in Primary Care.

I start next week as a Nurse Practitioner in Ohio. I am starting as an N3S2 which I was very happy with. I have 4 years RN experience and 2 years as NP. I am an Army Veteran. I was in the National Guard for 6 years (14 months of that as title 10 in Iraq), any idea if this helps with seniority for vacation etc. Also am I assuming correctly that only my title 10 time goes toward retirement, etc.?

Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
I start next week as a Nurse Practitioner in Ohio. I am starting as an N3S2 which I was very happy with. I have 4 years RN experience and 2 years as NP. I am an Army Veteran. I was in the National Guard for 6 years (14 months of that as title 10 in Iraq), any idea if this helps with seniority for vacation etc. Also am I assuming correctly that only my title 10 time goes toward retirement, etc.?

Only your active duty time will count for seniority and retirement. For the retirement you must make a "military deposit" to buy that time. Your HR department should be able to help you with that or do search at DFAS. As far as AL (vacation) all title 38 nurses in the VA start out at the max AL time of 8 hours per pay.

Hello I've applied to Atlanta VA.

I'm a NP w/ 3 years of experience and 3.5 years as a RN.

I also have my DNP and I am currently working on my certification in my area of expertise.

I am also in the Army Reserves Nurse Corps (still waiting for orders)

Dose anyone know what pay-grade I may fall under?

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

Here you can see the pay scales for the Minneapolis area nurses and advanced practice nurses

Contact

Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
Here you can see the pay scales for the Minneapolis area nurses and advanced practice nurses

Contact[/QUO

This site will give you all the pay scales for the VA.

Title 38 Pay Schedules - Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)

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