VA system

[Dryacku]

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Hey I was just curious

What are VA salaries compared to pp... I know they are lower and may vary from region to region

Also is it true that working in a VA hospital you can not be sued by a patient and that you also recieve pension after a certain number of years

what are some drawbacks?

numbers would be great

thanks

 

[Pilot Doc]

Hey I was just curious

What are VA salaries compared to pp... I know they are lower and may vary from region to region

Also is it true that working in a VA hospital you can not be sued by a patient and that you also recieve pension after a certain number of years

what are some drawbacks?

numbers would be great

thanks

Got a flyer from a VA recruiter at the ASA. Salaries run low to mid 200's for MD's and mid to upper 200's for dept heads.

I don't know the details of VA malpractice but you do have to be sued in federal court which generally is a better deal than state court.

You do receive a federal pension in addition to the much touted government benefits, a gazillion holidays (e.g. veteran's day, columbus day) and a pretty nice work week compared to most private practice jobs.

Drawbacks ... You ever been to a VA? Hard to explain if you haven't. You have to be the type of person who can be happy working a deeply flawed and absolutely unchangeable system.

 

[deleted126335]

.

 

[McSnappy]

Got a flyer from a VA recruiter at the ASA. Salaries run low to mid 200's for MD's and mid to upper 200's for dept heads.

I don't know the details of VA malpractice but you do have to be sued in federal court which generally is a better deal than state court.

You do receive a federal pension in addition to the much touted government benefits, a gazillion holidays (e.g. veteran's day, columbus day) and a pretty nice work week compared to most private practice jobs.

Drawbacks ... You ever been to a VA? Hard to explain if you haven't. You have to be the type of person who can be happy working a deeply flawed and absolutely unchangeable system.

I don't exactly know what it means, but I've heard once in the federal system for so long (which I believe to be somewhere after 10years), you can obtain the "Golden Handcuffs"👎 Which, from my limited understanding means that to obtain said retirement/pension/benefits you must stick around (to twenty years??) and if you try to leave, you lose said retirement or a whole lot of the accrual. Which means, your next gig better pay that much more to re-coup the 'loss' from leaving a job.

One other benefit. Those Vets have some of the WILDEST stories you will ever hear and many of them are very grateful for your help.

 

[buckhorn]

Hey I was just curious

What are VA salaries compared to pp... I know they are lower and may vary from region to region

Also is it true that working in a VA hospital you can not be sued by a patient and that you also recieve pension after a certain number of years

what are some drawbacks?

numbers would be great

thanks

Actual salaries paid to Anesthesiologists at VA Medical Centers as reported to DOL by the VA. These salaries show what the government thinks Anesthesiologists are worth and are representative of what we will get paid when Barack Obama nationalizes health care.


I-06067-2286037, Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, 109 Bee Street , Charleston, SC, 29401, Anesthesiologist, $88320.00, per year

I-06153-2608139, PHILADELPHIA VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER, UNIVERSITY & WOODLAND AVENUES, PHILADELPHIA , PA , 19104, PHYSICIAN / ANESTHESIOLOGIST , $115000.00, per year

 

[Arch Guillotti]

IIRC you do not not have to be board certified to practice at the VA. In my limited experience there I was unfortunately not impressed by the caliber of the anesthesiologists.

 

[deleted50478]

IIRC you do not not have to be board certified to practice at the VA. In my limited experience there I was unfortunately not impressed by the caliber of the anesthesiologists.

The VA is a primary source of cheaper foreign docs who undermine our salaries at VA hospitals and potentially in private practice.

http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/schedule108/oct03/10-21-03/mlawson.html

"In anesthesiology, 62% of our physicians are on time-limited appointments due to their immigration status. While these H1-B visa holders are a good source of candidates, the number of these visas available through the Immigration and Naturalization Service are more limited than in the past. Though committed to the VA in the short term due to their immigration status, most leave their clinical positions for more lucrative opportunities at the earliest possible opportunity."

 

[Krafty]

My experience with the VA system so far is that it gets a lot of BAD REP.

I think it really depends on a hospital just like looking closely at different rinky-dink run down community hospitals can also give you nightmares.

I know Morgantown, Virginia VA pays north of $300k

So you have ASC hours with PS III/IV and crazy pathology.

The VA affiliated with our institution (major Tertiary NorthEast Care Center)
- The equipment is pristine, we actually use a Phillips TEE for US guided nerve blocks
- Schedule is ASC type (8-3/4)
- 6 weeks leave (with all the holidays) btw Leave accumulates to maximum 86 days which if you ever leave, they pay you for ($1k+/day)
- Defined Benefit Pension 1% of your salary/year worked in system for the rest of your life so calculate for yourself: work 10 years - 30k for the rest of your life, 20 years - 60 years (roughly equivalent of having $2.1mil and living off of 4% return rate)
- Defined Contribution Pension - they match your 401k up to 5% of your salary
- Loan Repayment plans from Medschool or wherever else (up to 44k).
- Don't have anybody breathing down your neck to do that US guided interscalene or Paravertebral Catheter.

Drawbacks - well cause of bad rep they don't get the best applicants. Also ppl get used to high salaries in PP and simply CANNOT tone down their spending - house/car/St.Barts/High End Restaurants/Kids in Private Schools.

If you can get one of those deals where you do part time at VA and part time at Academic institution than in for a very mentally stimulating and great lifestyle while feeling like you're repaying those Vets for their committment to the country.

-K

 

[deleted50478]

Defined Benefit Pension 1% of your salary/year worked in system for the rest of your life so calculate for yourself: work 10 years - 30k for the rest of your life, 20 years - 60 years (roughly equivalent of having $2.1mil and living off of 4% return rate)

I think that the salary is actually really low ($60,000 ???), and the rest of your income is from bonuses. The pension is based on your terrible base pay rather than your total income, so after 20 years it's way less than you expect. Also it's nothing like living off $2.1 mil with a 4% return because your kids get nothing when you die vs $2.1 million. That's a huge deal unless you have no family.

 

[sethco]

- Defined Contribution Pension - they match your 401k up to 5% of your salary

Well that kind of pisses me off, if it is true.

The Military's retirement program is the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and the biggest knock against it is that it offers ZERO matching 😡

 

[Pilot Doc]

I think that the salary is actually really low ($60,000 ???), and the rest of your income is from bonuses. The pension is based on your terrible base pay rather than your total income, so after 20 years it's way less than you expect.

Not quite true - at least according to the sheet the VA recruiter gave me at the ASA

VA pay is made up of 3 categories

Base - the $75K more or less
Market Adjustment - $150-200K
"Bonus" - relatively small amount (max 15K, I think) that is somehow merit based or at least variable.

Pension is based on the 1st two categories, so it's not unreasonable.