This article is a follow-up article to The Island News’ two articles of October 20 and 27, 2021, which are titled, “What, Veterans, Spouses, Need to Know about Federal Jobs (Part 1 and Part 2).”
Those articles can be found at https://bit.ly/3vLiMQI and https://bit.ly/3vHQFld.
As a volunteer Employment Assistance Adviser for the Coastal S.C. Chapter of AUSA, a Tri-County Veterans Support Network Adviser, and a Patient Adviser at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, I have used my government and industry leadership experience to help more than 80 veterans and their spouses to find good jobs over the past 15 years. My experience as a hiring official with the federal government, the aerospace industry, the defense industry, and the medical services industry has given me a unique insight into government and civil industry hiring practices.
USAJOBS
There are hundreds of VA job openings (and hundreds of other Federal Agency jobs) listed online at the Federal Government’s Official Jobs Site at https://www.usajobs.gov.
Veterans Preference
Veterans have priorities and preferences in the Federal Government’s hiring process. The VA is committed to hiring veterans, and veteran status figures prominently in the VA’s hiring process. Veterans should carefully read the information at the VA’s HIRING PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES online site at https://www.vacareers.va.gov/Benefits/HiringProgramsInitiatives.
On this helpful page, veterans can learn about the Veterans Employment Service Office (VESO), which works to attract, recruit, and hire veterans into the VA, while also offering career preparation and transition services.
The VQA offers a number of government initiatives that prioritize the employment of veterans, including The VEO Act, The Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), The Disabled Veterans Enrolled in VA Training Program, and The Vocational Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Program, and Veterans’ Preference.
Disabled Persons
The VA fully supports the employment and advancement of persons with disabilities, and the VA encourages candidates with a certification letter from VA or a state Vocational Readiness office to apply for a non-competitive appointment.
Students and College Graduates
High school, college, and trade school students can get a glimpse into a possible future with VA through the VA’s Pathways Internship Program, which is explained at https://bit.ly/3KfyE35. Participants gain hands-on work experience — and pay — while completing their education. The also VA offers special opportunities for college graduates from a variety of disciplines — particularly those seeking careers in the analysis and management of public policies and programs — including the Outstanding Scholar Program, which is described at https://federaljobs.net/oscholar/ and the Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF) that is explained at https://www.pmf.gov.
Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System Employment Website
Those veterans who are interested in getting a good job, with great benefits with the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center should read the helpful information at https://bit.ly/3OGqO6a.
Location of RHJVAHCS Jobs
The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System (RHJVAHCS) provides health care to more than 75,000 veterans in the lower state counties from the N.C. border to the S.C. border and the northeast counties of Ga., including Hinesville and Savannah Ga. The RHJVAHCS serves veterans at seven locations, over a 21-county area in S.C. and Ga. RHJVAHCS includes the facilities at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston and six Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Beaufort, North Charleston, Goose Creek, and Myrtle Beach in S.C., and Hinesville and Savannah Ga.
More than just a job
Becoming a Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System employee is much more than a job, it is an opportunity to join a dedicated team of VA employees who have made the RHJVA Medical Center the only five-star hospital in S.C. It is also an opportunity to give back to our beloved veterans and their families who sacrificed so much to serve each other and our great nation. If you are a veteran, you know how important and excellent VA health care is to other veterans and their families. The VA (and our RHJVAHCS) is rated by Forbes as a TOP EMPLOYER.
Great benefits
Becoming a member of the nation’s largest health care team will provide you with competitive pay, great benefits, a child care subsidy, and the opportunity to serve our nation’s heroes. Go to https://www.vacareers.va.gov/Benefits/EmploymentBenefits/ to read details about VA employment benefits. Benefits include but are not limited to insurance, retirement, death, financial (competitive pay, performance-based increases, and rewards for outstanding performance, premium pay for night, weekend, holiday, on-call), market and performance pay for physicians, and dentists, recruitment and relocation bonuses, retention allowance, and incentive awards (superior performance, special contribution, quality step increases, VA Honor Awards, non-monetary recognition, and Title 38 Awards).
Job Fairs
The RHJVAHCS frequently holds job fairs and you can find out when and where those fairs are being held by going online to https://bit.ly/3MNheg3. Applicants interested in working at The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System and attending a future VA job fair should bring a current resume, birth certificate or passport, driver’s license, education transcripts, and professional certifications to the job fair.
Current or former federal employees should bring to a VA job fair a copy of their SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action, which is explained at https://bit.ly/3kffWhk. To expedite the hiring and onboarding process, applicants should first apply to USA Jobs for the open position. You can apply for VA jobs anytime and you do not have to attend a job fair to apply.
Dozens of Job Openings at the RHJVAHCS
As of April 23, the RHJVAHCS is hiring through USAJOBS nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, social workers, housekeeping aides, laborers, food service workers, physicians, medical technicians (Cancer), pharmacy technicians, supervisory mobility transport specialists, statisticians, transportation assistants, lead program support assistants, tellers, supervisory audiologists, engineering student trainees, dieticians, information technology specialists, medical technologists, medical support assistants, medical instrument technicians, construction control representatives, housing management assistants, security assistants, lead information receptionist, and health system specialists.
Go online to https://bit.ly/3vLJ9FY and find job openings at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System. As of April 22, there were 62 job openings at The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System.
Nursing Jobs at the RHJVAHCS
If you are a nursing professional interested in working for Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System, you need to view their Nursing Career Page at https://bit.ly/3KhAYGA for more information.
Navigating the Hiring Process
Veterans (and other applicants) should follow the instructions at https://bit.ly/3OGrSqG. This website will take you step-by-step through doing things before you apply, preparing your application, understanding qualification requirements, resume dos and don’ts, application tips, submitting your application, the interview, and getting hired.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Veterans and others seeking jobs with the VA should read the frequently asked questions and their answers at https://bit.ly/3Kgxjcl.
Federal Employees Reinstatement Eligibility
For former employees granted Federal status (i.e., those who’ve held a permanent Federal position for more than three years), the VA offers reinstatement eligibility within three years of separation. There is no time limit for those who have Veterans’ preference or have acquired career tenure. Transfer eligibility allows current career and career-conditional employees to be appointed to VA jobs, but transfer candidates may be required to compete under the merit promotion program.
VA Incentive Programs
To ensure VA attracts the best health care professionals available, VA promotes the following incentive programs:
Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) authorizes VA to provide student loan reduction payments to employees with qualifying loans who are in positions providing direct patient care and that are considered hard to recruit or retain.
Employee Incentive Scholarship Program (EISP) authorizes VA to award scholarships to permanent full- and part-time employees pursuing degrees or training in health care disciplines for which recruitment and retention is difficult.
National Nursing Education Initiative (NNEI) is a scholarship awarded to permanent full- and part-time VA registered nurses seeking bachelor’s and advanced nursing degrees from an authorized, accredited program.
VA Learning Opportunities Residency (VALOR) allows nursing, pharmacy and medical technology students (who have completed their junior year in an accredited clinical program) to gain experience at a local VA facility.
For more information about these programs, please call the VHA Healthcare Retention and Recruitment Office (HRRO) at 1-844-456-5208.
Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System Human Resources (HR)
The RHJVAHCS HR Office can also answer your questions about employment. The RHJVAHCS HR Department is located at 109 Bee Street Charleston, S.C., Human Resources Management Services. Second Floor, Phone 843-577-5011, HR extension 5949. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
