VA Psych NPs

Jules A, MSN · Aug 12, 2015

Why would you even consider a job with pay that makes you want to cry? There are other threads on this topic so try searching also but the short version in my opinion is it at least in my area with my experience it would be insane for me to even consider working as a NP for the VA.

I worked for VA as a nurse and the pay was actually good however at that time their highest pay grade, for like 30 years experience, is $50,000 less than what I make now without overtime or holiday pay. Is there any way their health benefits and retirement are worth $50,000 a year? Not in my opinion although plenty of people must disagree or they wouldn't be able to hire any PsychNPs and as far as I know they haven't made any drastic changes to their pay scale.

PG2018 · Aug 12, 2015

I really like the VAMC. I interned there. Loved it. Quick and easy access to ECG, labs, CT, MRI, etc. Pharmacy consults. Ready admission to inpatient psych. Integrated PCP referral.

However, like you say, the pay sucks, the application process is long and arduous, and I believe you have to justify, in writing, your qualifications thus salary boarding.

Jules A, MSN · Aug 12, 2015

However, like you say, the pay sucks, the application process is long and arduous, and I believe you have to justify, in writing, your qualifications thus salary boarding.

I did this to upgrade my pay as a BSN and it took a bit time but it wasn't horrible, sort of like writing a quick paper for school however and correct me if this has changed it will not negate the years as a practicing NP that are required and again last time I checked the highest rate, for like a billion years in practice, was low $100,000s.

PG2018 · Aug 12, 2015

I did this to upgrade my pay as a BSN and it took a bit time but it wasn't horrible, sort of like writing a quick paper for school however and correct me if this has changed it will not negate the years as a practicing NP that are required and again last time I checked the highest rate, for like a billion years in practice, was low $100,000s.

I think it maxes somewhere around 113k sans COLA. I made some really good contacts when I worked there. My precepting NP there told me one day "everybody here likes you." I even felt welcomed there as a student. It was really a nice site and consistently ranks very highly in the VA system. Unfortunately, they're initial salary, speculating would've been 60k less than my salary is where I'm at now.

There are a lot of pros and cons. One, I don't have a nurse, but I plan to hire one within the next four to six weeks. The folks at the VA I trained at didn't have a lot of admin support, but in my present job I have tons. The VA did indeed have "better benefits," but as you note the benefits are not worth the 60k I'd forgo if I went to work there. I would see substantially less patients each day, but I find that boring to some degree. I don't want scheduled hour long evals and half-hour med checks. (I used to always see the psychiatrists roaming around the campus and later figured out that they spent like 15 minutes on an eval so they had all these 45 minute blocks of time to kill each day.) Again, it would be awesome to have the lab, imaging, and inpatient unit at my disposal, but I've grown to live without it. Not of all of the offices had windows. I have windows. I related well with the veterans. It was a fairly consistent patient population to work with - generally men 23-66. I liked that...a lot. Here, I have the whole gamut, and truth be told I don't really like managing ADHD, ODD, etc. But I love my present job. It's the great job. I think I'm at the pinnacle of what is available to me in my state. I believe my boss (collaborator and company medical director) issued a dictum when I came on board, "Make him happy." I would like the VA. I'm sure of it, but I'm a really lucky guy to have my position as a first NP job. I know I'm where I'm supposed to be.