Federal jobs · updated September 2026

Getting hired at the VA and other federal employers

Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center is one of Spokane's largest health care employers, and every federal job goes through USAJOBS. The process is nothing like applying to a hospital's careers site. Here's how it works, in plain terms.

21 federal health care jobs on the board now All Spokane-area federal jobs on USAJOBS ↗

Federal health care jobs near Spokane and Coeur d'Alene

  1. $325,000–$380,000per year≈ $156.25–$182.69/hr

    Physician - Surgery Section Chief

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    2 days ago
    • New
  2. $50,723–$97,593per year≈ $24.39–$46.92/hr

    Dietitian (Clinical)

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    5 days ago
    • Full-time
    • Training provided
    • 2 openings
  3. $49,833–$85,198per year≈ $23.96–$40.96/hr

    Licensed Practical Nurse - Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    10 days ago
    • 2 openings
  4. $81,583–$158,689per year≈ $39.22–$76.29/hr

    Registered Nurse - Quality Risk Manager

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    10 days ago
    • Training provided
  5. $315,000–$400,000per year≈ $151.44–$192.31/hr

    Supervisory Cardiologist

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    13 days ago
  6. $81,583–$143,926per year≈ $39.22–$69.20/hr

    Registered Nurse - Operating Room

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    11 days ago
    • Training provided
  7. $315,000–$400,000per year≈ $151.44–$192.31/hr

    Physician - Cardiology

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    8 weeks ago
  8. $61,176–$79,526per year≈ $29.41–$38.23/hr

    Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory)

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jul 27, 2026
    • 2 openings
  9. $80,912–$145,558per year≈ $38.90–$69.98/hr

    Registered Nurse - Patient Aligned Care Team

    VA Walla Walla Health Care · Lewiston, ID

    May 26, 2026
    • Training provided
  10. $67,507–$106,285per year≈ $32.46–$51.10/hr

    Social Worker (PACT)

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jul 24, 2026
  11. $250,000–$315,000per year≈ $120.19–$151.44/hr

    Physician - Primary Care

    VA Spokane Health Care · Coeur d'Alene, ID

    Jun 5, 2026
  12. $89,974–$116,969per year≈ $43.26–$56.24/hr

    SOCIAL WORKER

    Air National Guard Units · Fairchild AFB, WA

    Apr 7, 2026
  13. $380,000–$400,000per year≈ $182.69–$192.31/hr

    Physician- Chief of Diagnostic Imaging Services

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jun 2, 2026
  14. $67,570–$106,285per year≈ $32.49–$51.10/hr

    Social Worker (PACT)

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jul 24, 2026
  15. $270,000–$323,000per year≈ $129.81–$155.29/hr

    Physician Pulmonologist

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jun 2, 2026
  16. $270,000–$315,000per year≈ $129.81–$151.44/hr

    Physician-Neurology

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jun 2, 2026
  17. $66,383–$104,419per year≈ $31.91–$50.20/hr

    Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (BHIP)

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jul 24, 2026
    • Training provided
    • 2 openings
  18. $99,766–$175,343per year≈ $47.96–$84.30/hr

    Nurse Practitioner - Neurology

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Mar 23, 2026
    • Training provided
  19. $67,570–$106,285per year≈ $32.49–$51.10/hr

    Social Worker (BHIP)

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Jun 29, 2026
    • 2 openings
  20. $67,570–$106,285per year≈ $32.49–$51.10/hr

    Social Worker-Suicide Prevention Case Manager

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Mar 23, 2026
  21. $66,383–$104,419per year≈ $31.91–$50.20/hr

    Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor- Suicide Prevention Case Manager

    VA Spokane Health Care · Spokane, WA

    Mar 23, 2026
    • Training provided

How federal hiring works

  1. Read the whole announcementCheck "Who may apply" first, then Qualifications (especially the specialized experience), Required documents and the closing date. Save a copy: announcements disappear after they close.
  2. Build a two-page federal resumeSince September 2025, USAJOBS resumes can be at most two pages. For every job, list month/year start and end dates and hours per week; HR uses them to credit your experience.
  3. Answer the questionnaire honestlyMost announcements ask you to rate your own experience. Every high rating has to be backed up by something in your resume, or HR can mark you not qualified.
  4. Watch for assessmentsSome jobs add an online assessment (such as USA Hire) or a subject-matter review after you apply. Deadlines arrive by email and in your USAJOBS account.
  5. Referral and interviewsHR checks your qualifications and refers the best-qualified applicants to the hiring manager. Your USAJOBS status shows "Referred" or "Not referred."
  6. Offer and onboardingA tentative offer comes before the background check and paperwork. From application to start date often takes a few weeks to a few months.

What's different about VA health care jobs

Many VA clinical jobs (nurses, physicians, dentists, physician assistants and others) are filled under Title 38, and a group of others (for example pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, LPNs and many therapists and technologists) under "Hybrid Title 38." These use VA's own pay tables and professional boards instead of only the General Schedule, so grade and pay can work differently from other federal jobs. The announcement's Qualifications section spells out the exact rules, including the licenses or certifications you must hold when you apply.

Some VA announcements stay open for weeks or months and refer applicants in batches, so applying early can matter even when the closing date is far away.

Essay questions

Many announcements now include short essay questions under OPM's Merit Hiring Plan. OPM describes them as optional, and one question was replaced in September 2026 after a court order. Read the current questions in each announcement before you start, and write your answers yourself.

Veterans' preference

If you claim veterans' preference, attach proof with your application: usually a DD-214 that shows your character of service. For 10-point preference, add an SF-15 and your VA letter. Missing documents are one of the most common reasons preference isn't applied.

Tips that make the biggest difference

  • Match the specialized experience statement point by point, using its keywords, with concrete examples of work you actually did.
  • Put the duties that match the announcement first under each job, and include numbers where you can (patients per shift, beds, caseload, volume).
  • Tailor your resume for each announcement. One generic resume rarely gets referred.
  • If a job is posted at two grades, apply at every grade you qualify for.
  • Upload every document listed under Required documents, such as transcripts, licenses or certifications.

Want the whole playbook?

Ebook (PDF), instant download

Federal Resume & USAJOBS Guide

A step-by-step ebook for applying to VA and other federal jobs on your own: how USAJOBS hiring really works, and how to write a resume and questionnaire answers that get you referred.

$29 one-time

  • How federal hiring works, from reading the announcement to your first day
  • Building a two-page federal resume that matches the specialized experience, point by point
  • Finding the announcement's keywords and using them so HR can credit your experience
  • What the questionnaire and USAJOBS assessments look for, with tips for each
  • An AI prompt to use with an announcement and your own work history to draft a tailored first version
  • Checklists for required documents, veterans' preference and a last review before you submit

Available soon. Email support@inlandcarejobs.com to get it when it's ready.

Written by a 10-year federal employee who has been hired by the VA twice using these steps.

It's a guide you work through yourself. We don't write or review resumes.

Inland Care Jobs and this guide aren't affiliated with or endorsed by USAJOBS, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Veterans Affairs or any federal agency. The guide covers the public application process only. No guide can guarantee a referral or a job offer. Searching and applying for jobs on this site is always free.

Official sources