public health nurse

nutritionist

environmental specialist

office specialist

epidemiologist

Virginia Department of Health

A typical day at work involves reviewing and responding to emails and phone calls, attending scheduled and impromptu meetings, creating and mailing written correspondence to scholarship recipients, college and university administrators, National Health Service Corps sites and representatives, as well as review and evaluation of active recipient files and employment records.  While at this job, I have learned to be flexible, adaptable and willing to research any topic that may come up -ex:  current state codes and regulations concerning the programs I assist with.  I have learned how to deal with a very diverse group of individuals.  My supervisor has a unique style of management that has taught me to be both a responsible assistant and team player.  My manager was  not hired until after I had begun working, and has a style totally different from that of my supervisor.  This has taught me to be very adaptable.  My coworkers are very supportive and helpful.  We feel as though we are a "work family".
The hardest part of the job is not knowing exactly what is going to happen from day to day.  Due to government sequestration and cuts i n State funding of programs, as well as the resignation of our department director (without a replacement) policies, programs and regulations seem to be rather volatile.  The most enjoyable part of the job,are the many additional skill sets that I have acquired since I have been working with the VA Department of Health.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Benefits, co-workers, off on weekends and holidays. Supporting the health and well-being of the community, feeling like you are a part of something bigger.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Human Resources support and knowledge of policy/procedures are lacking.  They appear to be only out for their own best interests and don't consistently and equitably support staff. Inconsistency in work ethic and communication among staff with no repercussions for people who don't pull their weight.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Varies by location. It is a large organization with many districts and offices. There tends to be a lot of finger-pointing instead action and accountability. Front line and lower level staff are supportive of their peers overall.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Many days are different collaborating with co-workers at varies levels to meet the agency mission. Depending on who the players of the day are it could be good or bad.

My experience with the Virginia Department of Health was disappointing. The organization felt highly disorganized, particularly within the HR department. Communication was inconsistent, and processes did not seem structured or clearly managed.

I experienced a lack of follow-up regarding applications and internal communication. It often felt unclear where things stood, and there was little transparency throughout the process. Professionalism within HR did not consistently meet expectations, and policies did not appear to be applied evenly across departments, which created a perception of favoritism.

Overall, I believe the department would benefit from stronger leadership within HR, improved communication standards, and better training to ensure consistency and professionalism. Applicants and employees should be prepared to advocate for themselves and ask detailed questions about processes and expectations.

Working for a local health district gave me the opportunity to feel more involved with my local communities. As is often the case in public health work, I wore two different hats - one as a disease investigator, and one as a project manager. Both jobs gave me the opportunity to learn and grow in the field of public health in different ways. Whereas the disease investigations were more of a direct reflection of my degree and training, the project management introduced me to an environment where a team was all working together to provide a valuable service to our health district. My direct supervisor was great with giving me opportunities to grow and learn as well as providing me guidance when I needed it. The culture was great; everyone was friendly and willing to help out. The hardest part of the job was finding a balance for my separate tasks. I intended to remain in this job longer than I did, but due to family matters had to move on.

Scheduling fingerprint appointments, checking & responding to e-mails on Outlook. Checking paperwork on new employees making sure everything has been submitted.  Pulling information on applicants from websites NCJI (Non-Criminal Justice Interface), DMV history in state and out-of-state, Offenders, Office of Inspector General--fraud information, checking professional licenses.
I learned to fingerprint applicants & how the process of background investigation paperwork from beginning to end.  I make sure the applicants are fingerprinted and if there are no shows I call the HR manager to locate the applicant.  My co-workers we work well together--I am flexible and get along with everyone.  The hardest part of my job is to leave at the end of the day when I want to finish what I am working on.  Enjoyable part is getting responses by e-mail or phone to finish or complete the background investigation when information is left out or off of the paperwork.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Dayshift hours. Usually work Mon - Friday. Benefits offered

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
It appears some employees are given higher productivity requirements than other employees that makes it difficult to meet their required goal. Management has different rules for different employees 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very stressful and constant confusion or lack of working equipment or supplies, constant management meetings . Some not familiar with actual processes of certain jobs. Issues with payroll and leave being accurate. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Receiving requests by mail. Online or expedited vitalcheck from customers requesting vital records for deaths, marriages and divorces in Virginia. Some required a letter be sent, call made, further research or sent for an amendment or waiting on all required information

I’ve worked here for over 20 years, which speaks to the many positive aspects of the organization. There is strong support for work-life balance, generous leave benefits, and job stability that’s hard to find elsewhere. Many teams are made up of dedicated individuals who care deeply about serving the community.

That said, leadership and accountability have been ongoing challenges. Communication from the top is often inconsistent, and decisions can seem reactive or unclear. At times, it feels like policies aren’t applied equitably across the board, and efforts to raise concerns or suggest improvements aren’t always met with the transparency or support you’d hope for from leadership.

Overall, this is a solid place to work if you value public service and appreciate work-life balance. But for the organization to truly thrive, greater accountability, consistency in leadership, and respect for experienced staff voices will be critical.


It's difficult to be a state employee, but even more difficult to work for VDH. It is well known that being a state employee is a thankless job with sub-par pay, but couple it with no reward system for good work, no disciplinary system for bad work and management whose style was best utilized in 1977, and you get a miserable work environment. If it weren't for my co-workers, I wouldn't have stayed the amount of time I have.I am watched like a child on a curfew. My hours are 8-5, but I'd better be at my desk by 8 am and I'd better not leave it prior to 5 pm. If I want to leave 15 minutes early, I need to fill out a leave slip.If I work over one day for deadline reasons, I can't simply come in late or leave early the next day. Their reason? I'm exempt and thus expected to work over when necessary. I held out hope that things would change, but they haven't, even after changing positions (and thus managers). Good luck if you work here.

The position was with Sedona Staffing at first and then the state switched to Caliper Inc.  My original title was "Health Workforce Support Technician" and I was an assistant to the Nursing Scholarship Programs.  When a new director was hired, my title changed to "Health Workforce Coordinator" and I was charged with managing the entire program.  My co-workers were wonderful to work with and there was a "work family" atmosphere.
Management was tasked with multiple responsibilities and often in meetings.  Each day was busy.  I learned how to become even better at multi-tasking and adapting to changing work responsibilities.
The hardest part of the job was not having enough resources to work with.  The most enjoyable part of the job were my coworkers.

I loved the work that I did here, but the management sucked terribly!
You would think when a new position was created, they would hire from within. NOPE! They prefer people outside of the company to hire. I knew a great nurse who wanted to transfer to another location and was denied twice! Again, they hired someone from outside of the company.  If the health director was replaced or if she would actually listen to what her employees had to say, I know the employee morale would greatly improve.  You can't even go out in the community and do your job because she thinks you will make her look bad. Oops, too late for that! She did that to herself. It was a few managers and employees who left because of her over the years. The Central office knows what's going on but refuse to do anything. In my experience, working for VDH was overrated.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Public health nurse 48 salaries reported	$76,884 per year
Nutritionist 63 salaries reported	$47,776 per year
Environmental specialist 108 salaries reported	$53,832 per year
Office specialist 55 salaries reported	$37,909 per year
Epidemiologist 13 salaries reported	$71,451 per year

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