Title:Celebrate National Nurses Month - and the nurses who change lives
Author:VA Careers
Date:May 2023
Source:U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs © 2023, Reprinted with permission
Volume:Volume 3 Issue 199
As we begin National Nurses Month, VA proudly joins the American Nurses Association in celebrating our nurses far and wide.
We commemorate our invaluable teammates and the positive impact they provide by recognizing that "VA Nurses Make a Difference" — the theme we're using to celebrate Nurses Month this year.
By joining the nation's largest nursing corps, you can make an impact on the lives of our Veterans, and change your own life in the process. With extensive benefits and an emphasis on the work/life balance you've been looking for, all it takes is one application to turn your nursing job into a VA career.
Incomparable benefits
We offer benefits beyond compare that can make a difference at any stage of your career. When you become a nurse at VA, you can:
- Work at any VA facility in the U.S. and some territories with one active license
- Receive recruitment bonuses and relocation reimbursements for certain positions
- Care for your family with group health insurance, including dental, vision and long-term care
- Plan ahead with our three-tier retirement plan and access to term life insurance
Find your work/life balance with:
- A flexible schedule, and sometimes even remote work options, to accommodate your needs and lifestyle
- Generous vacation and personal leave, including 26 paid days off, 13 sick days and 11 paid federal holidays
- On-site perks, like child care, dining facilities and fitness centers
A mission without measure
As any member of our nursing team will tell you, the work they do is not just a job, it's a mission to provide the best care possible to those who have served our country with honor.
VA nurses take that mission to heart, advocating for Veterans and making sure they get the care they need, when they need it.
Beyond their fierce dedication to the mission, our nurses work to provide innovative, caring solutions that resolve the complex health challenges faced by Veterans.
Whether acting as part of a Veteran's treatment team, serving on leadership boards or contributing to interdisciplinary collaborations, our nurses work with one goal in mind: improving outcomes for our Veterans.
Unmatched opportunities
We offer nurses almost limitless opportunities to lead and grow. In addition to the ability to easily move around the country, you'll find opportunities at all levels of experience and in a variety of clinical settings.
To start with, you can practice in a variety of care-delivery settings, including acute, ambulatory, mental health care, telehealth care and outpatient clinics.
At all of our more than 1,300 sites of care, you can have a voice at the table, weighing in with physicians and leadership to improve nursing care at your VA facility.
Whether you want to pursue clinical work directly with patients or consult, there are numerous opportunities available, extending to educational roles and leadership positions.
You can also embrace scientific exploration to come up with new ways to serve Veterans. We have many nurses who work in research and contribute to knowledge, best practices and clinical leadership practices.
"Each area has a distinctive career progression, but because we're so flexible and we want to attract the best and brightest nurses, there's always upward mobility," said nurse recruiter Laura Sarmiento. "They have that opportunity, and I've never seen that with our competitors."
Work at VA
Step into a nursing career alongside the most dedicated members of our team and start learning what it means to serve Veterans.
- LEARN more about nursing jobs at VA.
- EXPLORE the benefits of a VA career.
- READ about our mission to heal Veterans.
- SEARCH for open positions near you at VAcareers.va.gov