Anyone ever interviewed for a nursing position at a govt. facility? Just wondering how it would be different?

than a private hospital? Any suggestions or insight into this process or what to expect would be great. Thanks in advance.

I was a regional manager for a healthcare contracting agency that hired LPN's and RN's for a Army Hospital. There really isn't too much difference between those types of jobs and regular civilian jobs. The biggest difference is that when ever you work for a government facility, they put you through an extensive background investigation on a form called SF 86. It's about 10 pages long and has questions about every facet of your life for the last 7 years. Where you have lived in chronological order, where you have worked, people who knew you at each address and job, if you ever traveled abroad, for what reason, bankruptcy, etc. It's a real pain to fill out, but you can't start until they get the results back from the goverment agency that looks into all of them.

The other difference in a contract job is that they can tell you to do whatever the hell they want and you kinda have to deal with it. They can rotate your shifts, have extensive requirements for things, etc. They can also fire you on the spot without notice. Now this is only for a contract position. If you are thinking about applying for a Government Service (GS) position it is a bit different, but they still put you through the back ground check.

For a GS position they hire you for a specific job and shift (usually). You are on a probation period for the first year where they can fire you if you screw up, but after that 1st year, it almost takes an act of congress to fire you.

Just be honest about everything, even if you have skeletons in your closet, and have a positive attitude.