Military Wife Seeking BSN

[kunzle67c]

Hey all! I'm really hoping to get some advice to help me out! I have a BS degree in Human Nutrition and want to go back to school to be a nurse. Ideally, BSN. My husband is in the military - Marines - and just starting flight school. Therefore, we have no idea what our lives will look like for the next 2-3 years. Here are a few options I've researched and thought about. Any and all suggestions are so appreciated.

1. Accelerated BSN Program - pros - only takes 12 months - cons - expensive, requires me living away from my husband (due to our constant change of living location due to training).

2. Get a CNA certification just so I can start getting experience and wait to do an accelerated BSN program when we are more settled.

3. Get an LPN certification so I can start getting experience and possibly do an LPN to RN and then RN to BSN program later. Or an accelerated BSN program later.

I understand the first option seems to make the most sense - I'm just having a hard time with it. My husband and I just finished long distance dating and got married only a few months ago and are finally together. So the idea of being apart again is not fun. Therefore, I'm just really trying to see if there's any other option. If not, I can accept that. But not until I look at all my options.

Thanks in advance for the help and advice!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

First, I've never heard of a BSN (Which means Bachelor of Science in Nursing) in Nutrition. Does that give you standing to become licensed as a dietician? It sounds as though you'd have most of the pre-requisites for nursing. When will your husband's training be finished? Is it really going to be 2-3 years of training before he settles into an assignment? If he's going to be through training in a year, and then be assigned to a base somewhere for a few years, I'd wait until then to start school. The military usually will ask what your top three or so choices in assignment would be -- use the time he's in training to research and possibly apply to schools in those three or so areas.

Other military wives are a great source of information about what your husband's career trajectory is going to mean in terms of moves and family life, and many will have advice about how to handle jobs, changes in station, education, etc. Plug yourself into that network and find out all you can. Keep in touch with them, and keep in touch with us and you may find answers to help you. Try posting in the military nursing forum. You may not wish to join the military as well (in my day, the promise was they'd "try" to keep married couples together), but some of the things the military nurses have learned with their careers may help you in getting yours underway given that you're part of the military now, too. Good luck!

[kunzle67c]

Thank you for all the great information! I really appreciate. I have a Bachelor's in Human Nutrition. I most definitely accidentally made up the BSN in Human Nutrition. Haha! It was time for bed.

We won't know which aircraft my husband gets for another 10 months and therefore we won't know until then if his training is 2 or 3 years and we also won't know which bases will be our options - because it's all based off what aircraft he gets. That's why i was trying to look at other options in the meantime, since planning ahead isn't really a possibility at this point with the lack of information.

I will certainly check out the military forum! Thank you.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

In the meantime, you can knock out some of your pre-reqs for nursing school that you are missing at a local CC. Most schools require some of the same courses (A&P, Chemistry, Microbiology, Statistics, etc).

[kunzle67c]

Great idea! Thank you. I do actually have most of the pre-reqs already because I was a pre-allied health student as well. So I have Physiology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Statistics, Biology and Psychology. The one class I know I have to take is an Anatomy class - which I'm in the process of signing up for. Any other classes you would recommend? I know a lot of the accelerated BSN programs I've looked at require a variety of other random classes that I don't have - but none of them are consistent - except in the classes I already have with the exception of the anatomy class. One program requires a random psychology class (not the general one) and another requires a development through the lifespans course. But I haven't found consistency in that requirement.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

12 months is a short time in the grand scheme of things, especially given your husband's career trajectory and the amount of time he might spend away from home too. I would find an accelerated program that suits you and your pre-reqs best and aim for that. Setting yourself up for achieving your goal early vs. a stepwise progression that might or might not happen as planned would be best. You already know that you can spend time apart and be okay with it, which is a great thing for a military couple. I was deployed to Afghanistan for nine months (Army RN) and my husband did fine on his own without me, though we have no desire to repeat that kind of apart-ness again — but I totally understand why you don't want to move away.

[kunzle67c]

Thank you for that advice! I do appreciate it. And I agree 12 months is a short time in the grand scheme! And so it may come down to doing exactly what you said. :) Thanks again!