VA Careers

[Acromion]

I'm currently doing a rotation at a VA hospital, and so far I am really enjoying it there. I've been told that the VA is a great environment for PA's - lots of mobility, good benefits, and fewer restrictions. Has anyone here worked for the VA? What are the Pros/Cons?

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Been to a few VAs in my time, and it really depends on the VA. While they should all be the same, it changes from one locale to another, IME.

[3GeronimoPA]

My interaction with my buds in the VA is it's just like any other mega company, it just depends on the environment you are working in. The VA employs more PAs than anyone else and they are a pro-PA organization. Plus you are taking care of America's vets. That's both demanding and rewarding. When I'm done in the Army, I will likely seek employment with the VA.

[ventana]

takes a LONG time to get hired

 

working to getting into for over 2 years now - biggest issue is "that job is posted for a NP and you are not an NP" then I ask who to talk about this to and they go blank/silent...

 

the local ER (VA) is now working towards getting me hired - but I have given them a floor per diem salary I will not work under..... the problem is that they set their per diem rate by dividing a full time rate by the # of hours........ totally misses the ball and WAY undervalues Per Diem Staff - I commonly have been paid well over $60/hour and sometimes over $70 for per diem - the VA offered $38..... no thanks - have given them my bottom number and the dept director is working with Washington ?? to get it for me.... seriously everything has to go to washington or some other big place in the sky to get decisions.... I merely can not and will not work for what they pay ....

 

And this is just for a per diem gig to appease my desire to serve.....

[KCMA79]

I worked for the VA for a short time.

1. Environment very location dependent.

2. Salary just OK

3. Great benefits. 6 wks vacation plus fed holidays.

4. Incredibly bureaucratic.

5. Regular hours with no call or weekends.

 

I left because of the patient demographic although on a national level the demographic is changing. I saw mostly old men with chronic problems that were never going to get much better no matter what I did. No kids and very few women.

[SharkPAck]

Ventana, is there anything to update on your ER/ Per Diem hiring situation? How is the VA (if you are working there now)? I would be interested in hearing about the hiring process and how they adjust your pay-scale according to your years of experience . Did they seem to negotiate with you much when assigning compensation/pay, or were they pretty objective depending on what you had on paper (education and years experience)?

 

I am interested in working for they VA at some point in the future and plan on doing a rotation at the VA during my clinical year, but I would be interested in hearing more about your situation. Someone has told me that they get other incentives like an annual bonus or something like that to make the salary more competitive. I know in my area the COLA is 20%, but even with the +20% the salary would still be somewhat low compared to the civilian sector. The USA jobs listing/descriptions don't really tell you much either.

Thanks for any update.

I would also be interested in hearing from anyone else that has experience with the VA (I found one other thread doing a search but it was closed).

[gleannfia]

I agree with some of the others. The VA can be a fabulous employment opportunity. I have worked for several. In general, the autonomy is very good as are salary/benefits/schedule. The VAs associated with a medical school tend to be better than those that are not. Patient population for the most part is wonderful, very appreciative of the care. And it is gratifying to actually be able to spend time with your patients, without the cha-ching, cranking them out for the Man. I currently work for VAs as a locum tenens, but am seriously considering accepting an offer to work for them permanently once again. Good luck!

[G. Davenport]

Working at the VA goes beyond the system, which is forward thinking but overwhelmed. I have worked a total of three years at two VA centers. There is good and bad. it wasn't for me. And I have a nine year history of military service.

[gleannfia]

Working at the VA goes beyond the system, which is forward thinking but overwhelmed. I have worked a total of three years at two VA centers. There is good and bad. it wasn't for me. And I have a nine year history of military service.

I have worked in both military(as a civilian) and VA, and find the VA vastly superior. The EMR system in the military is abysmal. That made the job much more stressful.

[Guest Paula]

My good friend just finished her NP schooling for Psych NP. She already has an offer at the VA. She hasn't even taken her certification tests yet. Didn't take her long to get an offer and I wonder if Psych NPs are snapped up quickly and PAs maybe not so much. She did not get DNP. She has not accepted the offer yet either.

[ventana]

Ventana, is there anything to update on your ER/ Per Diem hiring situation? How is the VA (if you are working there now)? I would be interested in hearing about the hiring process and how they adjust your pay-scale according to your years of experience . Did they seem to negotiate with you much when assigning compensation/pay, or were they pretty objective depending on what you had on paper (education and years experience)?

 

I am interested in working for they VA at some point in the future and plan on doing a rotation at the VA during my clinical year, but I would be interested in hearing more about your situation. Someone has told me that they get other incentives like an annual bonus or something like that to make the salary more competitive. I know in my area the COLA is 20%, but even with the +20% the salary would still be somewhat low compared to the civilian sector. The USA jobs listing/descriptions don't really tell you much either.

Thanks for any update.

I would also be interested in hearing from anyone else that has experience with the VA (I found one other thread doing a search but it was closed).

 

 

no real update, just no follow-up, I was pretty clear that I would not take anything less than 55 an hour for per diem, they were at 40. He was going to try to get them to 50 to have me reconsider. I suspect he did not get them above 40.

 

I have made some minimal headway at a different VA in a home-based primary care slot. They refused to interview anyone but nurse practitioners, but at least now are considering PAs. The salary is a very real issue.they've gotta do something to become more competitive

[G. Davenport]

Unless things have changed, the pa is paid at a GS 12 step 10. This is a salary of about $90k I think. It will depend on where you are located as a cost of living adjustment is made. Sometime a va will provide a sign on bonus and even a retention bonus to get you there and keep you. This is done at the discretion of the site director. Finally, the VA uses the PA ALOT. not sure why your place is NP focused. I must admit, however, that the NP is much better organized and has done well at getting NP salary higher than PA at many sites.

 

I am out of touch but this is how it was when I knew the VA. Remember, it was not a fit for me. Oh, and my military time was as a SERE specialist not a PA, so I can't compare it to active duty.

 

Good luck.

[dfdprelude]

I have worked as a PA for the VA for 25 years. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. The pay is competitive,I work a 40 hour work week,with

weekends and holidays off. I have 5 weeks of paid vacation. Most of the vets appreciate the care that you give them. I don't believe there is a perfect

PA job, but the VA is a good one.

[TheDude5000]

Sounds like its  mixed bag. I guess it depends where you go.

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

Comments from Dallas VA employees?  I know that the news media have not portrayed the facility in a positive light but I was curious as to what the internal feelings were.

[Remster825]

Have any PAs been successful at getting VA positions with loan repayment? How does this work? Thanks for any insight!

[kkwonger14]

I've been given a temp offer for a position at the VA. It's been almost 5 months of paperwork and waiting and I still don't have a start date.

 

Can anyone tell me how loan repayment works at the VA?

[kkwonger14]

I've been given a temp offer for a position at the VA. It's been almost 5 months of paperwork and waiting and I still don't have a start date.

 

Can anyone tell me how loan repayment works at the VA?

[cc56]

I hear it is VA to VA as to how the work environment is.  My significant other works for a VA in the Chicago area in surgery.  She is very displeased and thinks about quitting daily.  She too is a veteran and had worked many years in the community hospitals (level 1 trauma and below).  She finds at her location laziness is rampant and incompetence is too prevalent.  Most in her area have only been in the VA system and have never seen a for profit model.  Hence waste is nauseating and for her the treatment the veterans get is sickening too.  The benefits are nice in time off and work hours.  The pay can be good for some and not so good for others.  Typically if you have a degree and more responsibility your pay is less (PA's/MD's/Etc..), if you are less skilled then your pay is good (housekeeping/sterile processing).  I did rotations in Sacramento at a VA and from what I saw (psych ward and ER) the people were not lazy and the veterans seemed to get good care.  

[matchb0x]

Have any PAs been successful at getting VA positions with loan repayment? How does this work? Thanks for any insight!

I work at a VA in Omaha as a RN.  I have looked into loan repayment and tuition assistance.  They have a specific program for nurses to go to NP school and they will pay most of it, provided a service repayment time (a # of years worked afterwards) plus you have to work full time as a RN during your program.  There is no PA specific tuition assistance of any kind that I am aware of.  Sucky.

[MattK]

Is anyone familiar with this loan repayment program quoted from the VA web site?:

 

• "The Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) repays up to $44,000 in education loans for newly-appointed health care professionals in certain hard to fill occupations. Education loans must be used to pay for courses that directly lead to qualification for an appointed position."

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

To resurrect an old thread, here are some observations from a new hire after four days of orientation and one day in clinic:

1)  what a mess; orientation was a waste of time, aside from the "rah-rah" from admin types who tried to downplay the news media impressions (and they may be right for all I know) stating that many issues had already been addressed and that no impropriety had been found at this facility

2)  VA pays/reimburses for no professional expenses, at least in my clinic area (though supposedly a former classmate in a surgical clinic at the facility gets NCCPA reimbursement)

3)  no apparent in-service training on EMR (sink or swim it appears)

4)  no COL raises I was told for the past three years

5)  "great benefits" aren't so great, IMO.  Insurance coverage was cheaper for me to continue through wife's employer as opposed to Feds

6)  not a good sign when the head of the department makes a repeated point of dissing the system during required review of department specific orientation (skimmed through it)

7)  was told in clinic that position life cycle is about 5 years on average

8) "vets are greedy b*stards", or so I was told (not surprised based on some of the comments here)

9)  reoccurring theme seems to be that if one complains enough, they get what they want, whether it is narcs, equipment, etc. as a result of admin using Sir Isaac Newton's observation that stool rolls downhill

10) no access to computer system since required codes weren't available, nor was my ID badge (you would think that HR would cover this during FOUR days of orientation)

11)  local transportation rail pass takes TWO weeks to process (huh?), but at least they DO pay for this

12)  was told by HR that I didn't need to request a parking pass like all the other new hires since I would be provided a pass through my department for physician lot parking.  Dept. knows nothing of this, even though my vehicle will probably never see the light of day of that facility anyway

13)  dress code depends on whatever you wish to wear, as long as it looks professional (scrub top, cargo pants, and tennis shoes it will be)

14)  it is fun to watch the first year residents try to present a new patient to the attending after being out for a month and a half

15)  education reimbursement apparently isn't available until after you work for them two years (so much for the master's degree) though I haven't found that in writing anywhere as of yet

16)  union rep during presentation was so over-the-top that I didn't even give it a second thought (never been offered union membership in any prior position)

17)  apparently one federal agency doesn't communicate with the other; they still do two-step TSTs as opposed to IGRAs, and they need to be made aware that negative HbsAb titers don't need "a booster" but instead a full repeat of the series one addiitonal time

18)  to show how screwed up the admin process is follow this train of thought:  no state licensure is required to work there though you do need your DEA supposedly (one PA there now for 16 years and doesn't have one).  To get a DEA you have to have state DPS approval.  To get state DPS approval you need what?  A state license to practice.

19)  I did make the dept. head aware of our stool-based CME process change starting 1/1/15 and the inherent increased cost (that they presently don't cover).  Apparently one of the attendings is on the facility PA committee (didn't know that they had one) so he heard me talking to the dept. head from around the corner and apparently said he'd look into it (I'm holding my breath and turning blue at the moment).

 

Overall impression:  I think I'm going to negatively impact the position life cycle but I'll take it day by day for a while.  It isn't like I'm seeing a ton of other agreeable options, well, except for the Hawaii posting but that isn't realistic at this time (unless I leave wife and disabled mom behind).  Hmm....

[G. Davenport]

Interesting. Maybe, like me, it isn't a good fit for you.

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

We'll see. 1819 days till retirement, not that anyone is counting.

[jsfelder0417]

Resurrecting an old thread with some new info. I just got an offer from the Salt Lake City VA. I am a new grad (MPAS) with 7 years HCE as an Army Medic (with overseas tours,) and I speak English and Spanish. They offered me a GS-11, Step 5 spot. $81,264/yr