Coatesville VA Medical Center is hiring

Facility seeks applicants to meet regular, COVID staffing needs

COATESVILLE » The Department of Veteran’s Affairs is hiring fulland part-time healthcare employees nationwide, including openings at its medical centers in Coatesville and Philadelphia.

Veteran’s Affairs is looking to fill a variety of positions including nurses, LPNs, nursing assistants and housekeeping aids. At the Coatesville VA Medical Center, the need also includes positions in logistics, facility maintenance, environmental management service and food and nutrition, according to Ronelle Mihok, human resources officer at the Coatesville VA Medical Center.

Mihok added that the Chester County facility also has temporary openings, “one in each category” of RN, nursing assistant and LPN.

Coatesville is filling positions to meet regular staffing needs due to transfers or retirements, along with the need for COVID-19 staffing, which is of a temporary nature, Mihok said.

“Right now we have 34 positions — three are temporary and the rest are permanent,” she said during a telephone interview this week, adding the facility has already brought on 13 temporary employees.

“The temporary employees have the opportunity to apply for permanent status once they are on board,” Donna Yarnell, deputy associate director patient care services at the Coatesville VA Medical Center added.

The Coatesville VA facility, with approximately 1,235 employees, is one of 150 VA medical centers nationwide. The medical center and its outpatient clinics in Spring City and Newtown Square, offer urgent care, primary care, specialty care, mental health care, long term care, pharmacy and supportive services to outpatients, inpatients and residential patients, according to the center’s website. In fiscal year 2018, the medical center served 19,250 veteran patients, and had 234,350 outpatient visits and 2,511 inpatient and residential admissions.

Yarnell said the facility encourages applicants that are interested in long-term care and the mental health environment.

“We focus on mental health, geriatric, long-term nursing. We’re not like some other facilities where they have more acute care. It may take a little bit longer to find staff, because of our uniqueness,” she added.

Mihok said working at the Coatesville VA Medical Center may be a good opportunity to someone recently unemployed, recent graduates or retirees and offers a “very robust” package of benefits for its employees.

“And you have the opportunity to take care of the nation’s veterans and their families,” she said.

Yarnell added that employees have the opportunity to transfer to other VA facilities, and if they do, they take their benefits package with them.

“It makes the VA very unique,” she said.

To view or apply for careers visit www.coatesville.va.gov/careers. Questions can be emailed to visn04recruitment@va.gov. To see openings at VA facilities across the country visit www.vacareers.va .