VIDEO: VA nursing career provides flexibility, work-life balance

Working as a VA nurse was a natural career move for Jade Moore, MS, RN, acting director of workforce and leadership in our Office of Nursing Services.

As a military spouse, Moore experienced numerous disruptions early in her nursing career as her husband was relocated around the world. Tired of having to start over, she decided a VA career was a perfect fit.

“One of the greatest benefits is our mobility,” Moore said. “I was able to move from the Atlanta VA to the Baltimore VA and… keep that seniority that will go toward my retirement.”

Moore recently appeared on our “Talk About It Tuesday” broadcast on LinkedIn to discuss nursing careers at VA and her own journey from an ICU nurse to a health care leader. The broadcast airs live every Tuesday at noon ET.

“I am very proud to be a VA employee, and I encourage anyone to look at it for a career path or a career goal,” Moore said.

Take your career in any direction

Flexibility is name of the game for nurses at VA. In addition to the ability to easily move around the country as Moore has done, there are opportunities for nurses with all levels of experience and in a variety of clinical settings.

We hire student and newly licensed nurses, as well as experienced nurses and nurse practitioners.

If you’re just beginning your career, there are training opportunities, such as the Registered Nurse Transition-to-Practice (RNTTP) program. Through the program, nurses with less than a year of experience are given a preceptor, mentorship and training.

“We know it is difficult to transition from academia to day-to-day practice so we want to make sure that all our graduate nurses have the skills they need so they can work at the highest level,” Moore said.

If you’re interested in clinical practice, you’ll find opportunities in all inpatient and outpatient specialties, including the emergency department, medical/surgical, ICU, community living centers, ambulatory care and more.

“VA is so large, and we have so many clinical areas you can go through,” Moore said. “We have the whole gamut.”

It’s also easy to pursue a leadership career at VA. Moore was able to make the move into leadership and administration with the help of a VA scholarship that allowed her to earn her master’s degree.

“As you go up in administration, we look at you more as a health care leader, not just nursing. You have the skills and administrative ability to lead all kinds of people,” she said.

Enjoy the benefits

For Moore, the rewards of a VA career were clear. Mobility, flexibility and scholarship support were key to helping her advance her career as she and her family moved around the country.

Other great benefits of working as a VA nurse include:

• A generous retirement plan with both a pension and a savings plan with employer matching, similar to a 401(k).
• Up to five weeks of paid time off per year, as well as 10 sick days, federal holidays and paid parental leave.
• Being part of a close-knit team that’s dedicated to caring for our nation’s heroes.

“We love and are very passionate about caring for our Veterans. No matter where you go [in VA], you’re going to have that same goal,” Moore said.

Work at VA

Looking for a nursing career that works with you and your family? Look no further than VA.

• WATCH Jade Moore on “Talk About It Tuesday.”
• LEARN more about nursing careers at VA.
• READ about the benefits of a VA career.
• FOLLOW us on LinkedIn for more career advice.