Healthcare Jobs with the VA
March 19, 2008When searching for a healthcare job, many fail to consider the option of working for federal government agencies.
Although those who work in private facilities often make more money, the benefits of working for organizations such as the Office of Veteran Affairs (VA) can be considered comparable.
Competitive Pay
Though sometimes slightly less, the salaries paid to those who have healthcare jobs with the VA are considered to be competitive with those offered by private employers.
With the agency being one of the largest providers of healthcare jobs in in the nation, the local labor market in the area of each particular office must be taken into consideration. In order to keep up with the cost of living for their employees, the VA implements a Locality Pay System (LPS) that ensures that the salary offered for each position is competitive to what a private institution would pay for the same job.
Most job descriptions are listed with a possible pay range. Education and experience determines which end of the scale a new employee will fall into.
Generous Government Benefits
There are other benefits that favor consideration of a healthcare job in with the VA.
For starters, each employee earns 13 to 26 days of paid personal leave/vacation time a year, depending on their job, which begins to accrue immediately. All VA employees also receive 13 days of sick leave yearly.
On top of that, the VA observes 10 paid federal holidays and has a program called the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program that allows federal employees to donate their unused annual leave to other employees who are experiencing medical emergencies.
Aside from normal federal insurance coverage and a retirement plan, the VA also offers its employees one of the strongest degrees of career mobility possible. Those who fill healthcare job openings, and then later decide to relocate to a different state usually have to go through the process of getting re-licensed.
In contrast, VA employees are only required to have one active, unrestricted state license to be able to work in any of the agency’s facilities throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the Philippines. Transferring to another VA facility also does not cause the loss of any benefits, such as accrued vacation days .
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