I was recently called by a director of a V.A. who saw my C.V. online and wanted me to submit an application for a job. Anyway,he told me that from start to finish it takes 2-3 months to actually start working at a V.A. because of the paper work and because "the government is slow." However, I have heard from other sources that it can take much longer than 3 months, like a year to start.... Does anybody have any insight into this?
Length of time before starting a VA job
- Thread starter edieb
- Start date
I think it might depend on the application deadlines too. It might be 2~3 months from the deadline, but if you notice, most postings have deadlines that are 1 yr from the start date. So, if you send in an app on Jan 2009 for a Dec 2009 deadline, i imagine it might take longer than 2~3 months...
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It depends on the time of year, if there are budget issues, hiring freezes, etc. Oct 1 starts the fiscal year over, so I'd expect things to pick up then. The challenge is the VA may have jobs open, funding available, but there is still red tape to navigate. Hiring has been frozen many places because of the end of the year crunch, even though there is money set aside for the jobs. GL with the process.
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I was offered a job at the VA in late April of my senior year of college, and didn't start until October 1. I think I was a special case -- my coworkers were offered their jobs around the same time and started in June or July. VA hiring is notoriously slow, and it is complicated by the requirements for job posting. Even though a PI might advertise a job, interview applicants, and choose one, they are still required to post the position. This opens it up to anyone applying, and HR generates a list of the most qualified candidates -- hopefully the person they chose is one of these people. The best you can do it get all of your paperwork in on time and keep in touch the the director/PI and HR people. You will get hired, but it might take some time. Good luck!
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I'd say 2-3 months is the minimum it can take. I've heard from people working at the VA that it's taken up to 6 months to start. Part of it is paperwork, part of it is getting "boarded." And yes, the VA is notoriously slow and bureaucratic 🙂
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Any idea how they determine the salary within the GS-level? I looked at GS-12 positions to get an idea of what is out there, and there is quite a range: $57.7k-$75k. It is slightly depressing that it is so low (1/2 of what I could make at the BA level in my former career), but at least they are highering more clinicians.
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I think it depends a lot on if you're licensed or not. I know the VA I was at looked at hospital affiliations, previous work experience, etc. So I'm guessing the younger you are in your career, the lower you will be in that range. It is also dependent on what city the VA is in.
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I was hoping it wasn't linked too closely with the location, as I'm trying to land somewhere in a low cost of living without too low of a salary, so I can enjoy the gov't benefits and live a bit more comfortably. I know the COLA (cost of living adjustment) for a place like NYC may be pretty significant, but I was hoping it didn't go the other way for more rural VAs.
If it is a job right out of graduate school (and not a post-doc), you will be a GS-11 ranking and start between 54-56K. I am unaware of and COLA but I could be wrong. After a year or two, you will increase to around $65K. Some locations (the places that nobody wants to live) will pay back some of your student loans and pay your relocation expenses
I am going into the V.A. so I can have a 9-5 job while I take the psychopharm courses, then I plan on striking out as a prescribing psychologist
I am going into the V.A. so I can have a 9-5 job while I take the psychopharm courses, then I plan on striking out as a prescribing psychologist
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I'm all about that! Evidently some of the places I'm looking at for post-doc now are less desirable locations (for some), but I happen to want something a bit more off the beaten path. We'll see how it shakes out, but if I can find a place willing to pay back some of my loans and the salary offers a bit of an advantage because of a low cost of living....I'd be inclined to take it.
Check out New Mexico State's program. I know one of the core faculty and he is an excellent professor.
LA is on my short list of preferred places to settle down, and I've heard they still qualify as a disaster area (thus loan forgiveness). I also have 1 class and 2 practica left for my MS in Clinical Psychopharmacology ....but I may just put it off another couple of years because it doesn't fit with my post-doc goals.
