IUPUI second degree BSN program w/military medical experience

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello, all!

I am VERY new to this site. A little about me...I have an A.S. in Allied Health, a B.A. in Media Arts and spent 4 years in the United States Air Force as a medical technician. I keep landing boring, desk jobs that don't offer much advancement. Needless to say, I am over it!

Well, I am now considering the second degree BSN program at IUPUI. Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to pay for it. I qualify for a portion of the Post 9/11 GI Bill...waiting to hear back from VA. I only get a portion because while I was active duty, I used the military College Loan Repayment Program (I went to college for 3 years after high school and basically just had a good time). I've been doing lots of research, and it seems difficult to "find" money to pay for a second degree. How did you do it?

Also, in the military, a medic does alot of what a nurse does, except for push meds. Will any of this training transfer over? For my A.S. I took: Fundamentals of Patient Care, Basic Nursing, Intermediate Nursing, Intro Clinical Practicum, Emergency Dept Practicum, Inpatient Unit Practicum, Outpatient Unit Practicum, EMT Basic...

One more thing....how long did it take to finish your prereqs?

Thank you all and have a wonderful rest of the week!!

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Specializes in CEN, CPEN, RN-BC.

Hey, good to see another Air Force member. I'm currently a med tech in the af (4n0x1). I did that before I went to college. Sorry to say, nothing transferred, but a lot of the info I learned in tech school helped out. Good luck!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

"Also, in the military, a medic does alot of what a nurse does, except for push meds. Will any of this training transfer over?"

Caveat: I have no personal experience or official knowledge in this area. My opinions are only observations.

My observations (from allnurses.com) are that the training received as a medic will not transfer to any type of nursing program. It is not uncommon for military personnel to believe that they have trained in a similar fashion to, and carry similar responsibilities as, an RN. That, apparently, is not true. The educational focus of the 2 disciplines is quite different.

FWIW, advocating that a medic is next to being a nurse will not win you any friends in a nursing program. Just a heads-up for your future dealings with fellow nursing students or instructors.

And again, just telling you what I've observed from these forums.

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Your military medical experience might be good for PA school. Look into it.

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Go 4N0's! Where are you stationed? I didn't think the training would transfer, but it never hurts to ask. It's good to know that the training can help get over "nerves" while being introduced to certain procedures in a classroom/clinical setting.

thinkertdm, I hadn't considered PA school...I will definitely check it out. Thank you for your suggestion!

BTW roser13, I meant no disrespect to nurses or anyone else in the medical field. I am not advocating that a medic is next to being a nurse. But the military IS a different world. I have had many friends that were medics, separated, did the same job in the civilian world and were very bored because they no longer had the freedom to do certain things like in the military. Military medics are trained to do a wide range of things to prepare them for anything, including the possibility of deploying to a combat zone. And I am speaking from experience...I worked in an ER in Iraq.

Honestly, I'm not trying to make friends. I'm just looking for a career change.

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