VA Nursing

Clear Morning · Jul 15, 2008

I had clinicals at the VA in Nashville for the my first two semesters and they regularly hire new grads. Also many of the nurses working there have been there for many years and say it is a great place to work. I guess things may be different from city to city, but that's what I have observed.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Jul 15, 2008

I'm wondering the same thing as well. I hope more posters respond. :up:

natrgrrl · Jul 15, 2008

I had clinicals at the VA during my last quarter of LPN school. After being there, I decided that is where I wanted to work. There were quite a few LPNs working on the Telemetry floor so I know they must hire LPNs. I talked with one nurse and she said the worst thing about her job was the hours. Evidently, they work 5 8 hour shifts. I was thinking, "If that is the worst thing you can think of...WOW!"

The nurses all said that you have to keep calling them to check on your application but it still takes about 9 months.

I'm going to apply for everything right now and hopefully by the time I am finished with the RN program (10 months from now) I will be hired at the VA.

costarica999 · Jul 15, 2008

I had a harrowing experience in training with a bully. It was one to one and eventually I became ill from it with , for example, a huge increase in blood pressure and one night (at least) of tachycardia of 120. At last, I could not get my legs to take me in to work. I quit without notice. Do I have any recourse here? Before I quit, I spoke to the supervisor but she was new and was very cozy with this trainer, so she did not "hear" me. Several years prior, the trainer had been replaced as supervisor in a clinic within this company for just such tactics. the company did not let her go then entirely, I do not know why. She bounced around for a while working part time temporary positions within the company and now was a trainer for a new program. (They were hiring tons of nurses and did not have enough people to train them)

When I describe my situation to anyone, they say write a letter to the president. This does not seem like something a president would care about.

Is there an organisation to turn to? Something for nurses? or just a civil rights type of organisation which might provide avenues of fruitful action to be taken?

Kiringat · Jul 15, 2008

I did my senior internship at the VA, and loved it. I know they hire ADNs, I would be thrilled to work there, but the application process is trully insane, and I need a job. So hopefully I can get in someday...

That being said, it was such a relief from your "civilian" hospital. I have no doubts that being a government agency, the VA has problems, but I was impressed with what I saw. It's the only place I've ever seen adequate staffing. They're not profit oriented, so there is more of a focus on actually taking care of people :eek: (including the staff). And the patients, for the most part, were wonderful. I've never been thanked so many times in my life.

I could go on, but to sum it up: I loved my VA experience. I am going to work there someday.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jul 15, 2008

There is a VA hospital blocks from where I live. I constantly mull over applying-the only two things that keeps me from it at the moment is that for one, I am still under contract at my current job since they paid my entire tuition and had a leave of absence with pay to become an LPN. The second reason is that I have accrued a great deal of vacation, sick, and pension. My pension will transfer from city to federal, but my time will not follow. It's not that attractive to have to start from scratch saving this sort of time again.