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!

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

I am an ADN, Board Certified OCN and Chemotherapy certified, 4+ years outpatient experience, where 90% of oncology treatment is actually done (the position I applied for is also outpatient clinic)!

You will almost for sure be boarded as a Nurse I, Grade III, Step 4 or 5 or possibly 6.

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Specializes in OP Hem/Onc Chemo infusion.

Thank you all for taking the time to explain this - very helpful ! Is any of this information published on a state basis? When I worked for UCLA, you could go to their website and plug in the job series and it would tell you what the pay is for each step. Does VA have anything like this and if so, does anyone know where to find it? Hard to make informed decisions without the data. Am interested in seeing what Florida's pay is. I so want to leave California - done with it and wasting my life in traffic. Happy New Year to all !

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Thank you all for taking the time to explain this - very helpful ! Is any of this information published on a state basis? When I worked for UCLA, you could go to their website and plug in the job series and it would tell you what the pay is for each step. Does VA have anything like this and if so, does anyone know where to find it? Hard to make informed decisions without the data. Am interested in seeing what Florida's pay is. I so want to leave California - done with it and wasting my life in traffic. Happy New Year to all !

Do you mean to show what your education and experience will board you at? The answer to that is no. It seems very subjective and the people who make up the board vary a great deal from hospital to hospital. couple things to keep in mind. normally you will get a step increase every other year. There are 12 steps in each pay grade.

Each VA will pay very differently. The set their pay bases on local wage surveys. What other have said about making more money at the VA after a few years is true. When you get promoted from Nurse I to Nurse II they have to give you a pay raise. So for example if you are Nurse I, step 6, and get promoted to nurse II you will be promoted to nurse II at the lowest stem level that gives you a pay raise. So nurse I step 6 will get promoted to nurse II step 1. If, say you are nurse I, step 10, you would be promoted to Nurse II step 2 or 3.

You will have to work to be promoted to Nurse II. Usually people do an education project, or serve on a committee. A nurse I is a unit wide nurse, Nurse II is supposed to have influence over several units or a department. So for example my buddy wrote an a-fib protocol for the post op CV surgery population and was promoted to nurse II.

The evaluation system is totally different than other hospitals. The VA doesn't even consider whether you are a good nurse who takes good care of her patients or not. It doesn't matter for promotion purposes. You will write you own eval listing things like how you meet the Nurse II standards in specific areas. You should be a shameless self promoter and give lots of examples.

Nigh shift differential is 10% for nurses, except critical care types who get 15%. Weekend differential is 25%. So if you worked strait nights and every other weekend (normal in VA for acute care RNs), combined with your holidays, the listed pay will really only be about 60% of your final pay. For example a Nurse II, step 2 I know has a listed pay of $74,494/year. However since he works strait nights in critical care and every other weekend he actually makes about $109,000/year without over time.

The BEST thing about the VA is that your hours are guaranteed. Not getting laid off for low census. Other perks are 8 hours of vacation and 4 hours of sick leave earned every 2 week pay period. The pension is not nearly as good as many think it is. basically average your highest three years of pay. You will get 1% of that for each year worked. So for example of you averaged $100K for the highest 3 years and worked for the VA for 20 years you would get $20K/year in pension. They also have moderately generous 401K, called TSP in the government. I think they will match up to 6% but I am fizzy on that one.

Expect Florida pay to be DRAMATICALY lower than California. At least 1/3 lower.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
The VA has 5 pay grades with 10-14 steps per grade. Grades 4 & 5 are executive grades and 1-3 are patient care grades. Overall grade 1 is for ADN' s, grade 2 BSN' s, and grade 3 MSN' s. Steps are based on experience.

Should be aware that it isn't quite as strait forward as that. An ADN can, and usually will be promoted to nurse 2 without a BSN, but won't be hired as a nurse 2 without a BSN. A nurse with a BSN can be promoted to nurse 3 without an MSN, but not hired as a nurse 3 without an MSN.

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Specializes in OP Hem/Onc Chemo infusion.

Very interesting and informative, appreciate your time in explaining all of this. I still think VA is a good choice even if the retirement isn't the best. The TSP 401k or personal retirement accounts can help with that. And guaranteed no lay off for low patient census is unheard of!

I am also considering a new grad VA position since I never got the chance to work acute care inpatient and get that experience. It will put me at lower pay than the other position I already applied for and got the "you are qualified and referred to the hiring agency," letter, but should be worth it in the long run. The no acute care experience issue has eliminated me from so many private sector jobs, even jobs with the same duties that I am already performing, even with OCN and chemo cert. It is holding me back from opportunities so I think I should apply for it as well. Hopefully they won't eliminate me like private sector has been doing. They say I am not eligible for a new grad program/position because I have been a nurse for over four years, but that is what I need! Been away from school for too long with focus on hem/onc - have forgotten some of that hospital acute care stuff due to lack of use. (this may be off topic, sorry)

Now to wait and find out if I passed the Talent Plus online assessment...or this could all be moot.

Feedback welcomed & thanks !

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

The federal retirement at the VA is better then any that I had in the private sector.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

At the VA that I worked at the only nurse 2 with a ADN were grandfathered in when they changed to title 38. No ADN' s ever got promoted to nurse 2 without getting there BSN

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
At the VA that I worked at the only nurse 2 with a ADN were grandfathered in when they changed to title 38. No ADN' s ever got promoted to nurse 2 without getting there BSN

That is amazing! The glut of nurses where you live must be extreme. I only know about the VAs in the upper Midwest and California where ADNs are regularly promoted to nurse II without a BSN.

How does your hospital manage to keep it's best, most skilled and experienced nurses if it refuses to promote them regardless of how valuable and good they are?

In my area the very good nurses would vote with their feet.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

The VA pays the best in the area and has the best bennies

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
The VA pays the best in the area and has the best bennies

Even when keeping RNs lower on the pay scale as nurse one's regardless of their competence or ability?

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

Promoting a ADN to nsg 2 is subjective to who is looking at the ratings. There is nothing that states a ADN has to be promoted to nsg 2. They also hired new BSN's as a NSG 2 not a nsg 1 like some facilities do.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Promoting a ADN to nsg 2 is subjective to who is looking at the ratings. There is nothing that states a ADN has to be promoted to nsg 2. They also hired new BSN's as a NSG 2 not a nsg 1 like some facilities do.

I understand. Your facility must be in a situation where they can be really, really picky if they can afford to treat their nurses like that.

FWIW, while I agree the VA pay and benefits are better than what has now become the average in health care, it's not THAT good. There is better out there but hospitals that actually value their nurses and are willing to provide good benefits and pay are few and far between and getting more so.

I find it interesting that there can be some much variability among VA practices from one hospital to the next.

For example at the fairly large VA in the same town where I work no new grad can be hired as a nurse II. All new grads are hired as nurse 1's.

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