Onboarding event brings motivated new hire to Alabama VA
Central Alabama VA participated in a nationwide Onboarding Surge Event to expedite selected candidates through the onboarding process. This event fast-tracked candidates’ onboarding experience by coordinating all required pre-employment actions into a single-day event.
Brittne Walker of Columbus, Georgia, attended the hiring fair after a friend sent her a social media post about it. “I received a social media post about a VA job in Tuskegee.”
She is now a VA nurse.
VHA needs to hire approximately 52,000 employees per year over the next five years to keep pace with the increasing demand for care and to ensure employees remain healthy and committed to our mission. The goal is to improve the hiring and onboarding experience and ensure VA remains an attractive place to work, a place where an employee chooses to work and is proud to make a difference for Veterans.
Family of Veterans and health care professionals
“I’m very thankful I got the opportunity to come in as a nurse at VA, to take care of Veterans, to make a difference and for career growth. I’ve been in health care for a couple of years. My dream is to become a doctor,” said Walker.
She is motivated by the Veterans in her family. Her sister, grandfather and uncle are Veterans and she witnessed firsthand the sacrifices service members and families endure during combat deployments.
In addition, Walker’s mother and grandmother are both in the health care field. Her mother is a marriage and family therapist but started in nursing. Her grandmother began as a surgical technician.
“Both had the dream and passion for becoming nurses, but I want to break the mold in my family,” Walker said. “I had a child so I could not finish my undergraduate studies to become a doctor. I decided to attend nursing school. It became my passion and I love it. I still plan on accomplishing my goal of one day becoming a doctor.
“I want to make a difference for Veterans. I believe people appreciate their service, but some may not realize what comes with it, the time with family given up, the sacrifices, the headaches and the heartaches. I just want to give them a smile, a thank you or just go above and beyond to make a difference.”
Walker is one of the 12,872 new employees to join VA from across the country which doubled VA’s goal for the nationwide Onboarding Surge Event.