it really depends on what you want to see... VA hospitals tend to see a lot of substance abuse (cocaine, alcohol, etc.), homelessness, PTSD (obviously - in fact, some would say that is one of its advantages), schizophrenia is pretty common as well. now, all of these things i mentioned would be similar to what you'd see in a major urban-setting hospital (like NYC) anyway. VA's are not known for the affluent population and you probably won't see much of the truly rare diagnoses (though to be fair, i think it's tough to see rare pathology unless you're in one of the major psych centers in the country where they get referrals). the CPRS computer system is amazing; it's the prototype of what an EMR should be, and a big perk if you're not into handwriting notes/orders. the pace of VA's is also slower, which may or may not be a good thing, and generally it's a more relaxed atmosphere with easier hours. of course, this all depends on which VA as they will certainly differ with location, but most people would agree that the above is true.
