Civilian jobs on military bases

Trauma Columnist · Jan 24, 2011

What country is your fiance in?

stevefl · Jan 27, 2011

I just found this link, it will take you directly to a job search for Army Civilian jobs.

https://vabselfnom.cpol.army.mil/vabSelfNom/

Steve

armyicurn · Feb 1, 2011

Thank you ARMYICURN for the quick response.
As for what I want to do GS side; (talking as one with no experience), I'll start with anything. I haven't found my "niche" yet, and will take any opportunity that comes my way.
The only GN positions that are available in my area (that I have applied to so far) are med surg and PCU positions.
Overseas is what I have limited myself to, because my fiance is currently overseas and his job is limiting him from moving back to the States; so it is best for me to move over there.
where is your fiance at? this would help me with how to answer
You definitely answered a lot of my questions. If you have the time and have the desire to just write about anything and everything you know about what to expect as a civilian nurse overseas or your experiences as an RN overseas, I would love that.
Things such as...when/if I get hired, do they do phone interviews, do they have the future employee fly out prior to the move...?
yes, they can do phone interviews and talk about salary. no, they will not fly you out. you pay for it. if hired from stateside, you get your car and household goods moved at government expense along with travel orders and a plane ticket that won't be first class.

Do they allow civilians on base housing? Does the government allow civilians to bring personal items up to a certain weight abroad with them (Car, furniture, etc).
no civilians live on base. you will not enjoy your venture in a foreign country if you want to stay inside the base. you will live off base and the government will pay part of your costs or all of it. not 100% sure
How big was the hospital you worked at in Germany? What kind of patients did you usually see in an on base hospital/your hospital?
where i was, it was the biggest hospital outside the continental US that is part of the military system. you name the type of pt and i will tell you i saw it at that facility. as my handle says, i was in the icu and we saw what comes out of the sandbox along with NATO allied forces, diplomatic types, FBI, CIA, nsa and black ops operators. we also took care of dept of state cases like taking an iraqi kid to the states for a special surgery that some hospital would do for free. we kept them in the icu until they had their next flight for the USA.

it takes a lot to do it (providing care) and when i trained the civilians, it was hard for them to see the horrific damage an IED can do on a dismounted soldier on a foot patrol or when their armored carrier drove over a bomb and the ballistics and shock wave damaged most of the internal organs.
Are the shifts 12 hours? How easy/difficult is it to transfer from base to base in Europe?
yes and no, depending where you end up. keep in mind that you will never make what a seasoned RN makes stateside. why, they are paying your rent and utilities and they sort of count that in the final pay when hired. you can only transfer to another base if there is a job available and if there are medical/health care facilities on base. so, to put it on realistic terms, your fiance can be moved to munich but you may not have a job there because there are not clinics or hospitals.

**If it isn't obvious, I am VERY new with anything military. I apologize if my questions seems silly. I am just trying to get a good visual of what to expect.
we all start new somewhere....and no question is silly. military life is a total different animal and you would have to learn the lingo once you get your foot in.

(Oh, I also wanted to add that money is not much of a motive for me; the main reason I am determined to do this is so my fiance and I can be together. )
while that is good to know, you still have to sell yourself to that hiring person. like i've said, they will want experience first. the money is not and issue b/c if they offer you X amount and you say no, then they will go to the next person on the stack of resumes. and trust me, i've seen those stacks...
Thank you so much for your time!!! I really appreciate it!

np, sorry it took me this long to get back to you. been busy. good luck.

newshark · Feb 1, 2011

Thank you again! That was very, very helpful. My fiance is an Italian citizen working in England right now. He (and his job) are pretty transitional, however.

I can't express my gratitude for all the info. I am new to allnurses but am so impressed with everyone's willingness and timeliness to answering questions! It's shocking to hear how the nursing field is one of the most notorious careers where the experienced "eat their young" when everyone on here is so wonderful.

Thank you all :)

armyicurn · Feb 1, 2011

No problem. As for eating their young, you still see it. I just do not condone it. Do not believe in such bs. I try to emulate the mentality of what happens within the MD circles. They take care of their own and watch out for one another. You do not see that in our side. Instead you hear coworkers trying to sound like they are better than everyone else in the unit when in fact they are the worst coworker and lazy POS. End of rant. Sorry.

Now....let's see....

So your fiance is an Italian working for the US Gov in England? Do I have it correct? In this case, your choices are VERY, VERY and VERY limited. In England, the US Air Force is mostly there. The bigger bulk of US military is in Germany but that is slowly shrinking. Sad but true. Also, the Army has the bigger representation of force everywhere (fighting/medical) and therefore, you will have more chances. The AF has been shrinking their medical assets and closing their hospitals. Most of their AF med assets end up working side by side in the big facilities like the one in Germany.

Your choices are very limited in England and if I have it correctly about the status of your fiance, your chances to be together are slim. Now, if he was in Germany, it could be different.

I hope this does not discourage you but keep trying. Good luck.

mlmdodge · Feb 6, 2011

@ armyicurn..i just want to know if you have any idea where i can apply as a military nurse.i am not a US citizen..i am from the philippines..currently i am working here in saudi arabia as a nurse..thank you

armyicurn · Feb 6, 2011

for you to be "hired" as a military nurse, you have to be a US citizen either by birth or naturalization. Sorry but no waivers granted on that one.

Good luck.

mlmdodge · Feb 6, 2011

@ armyicurn: i see..sad to know that i can't be a part of military health services..thank you for the information..one more question:even if i will work at the military hospital,like the walter reed army medical center,i have not ask them yet,still don't have the chance?..thank you..

armyicurn · Feb 6, 2011

@ armyicurn: i see..sad to know that i can't be a part of military health services..thank you for the information..one more question:even if i will work at the military hospital,like the walter reed army medical center,i have not ask them yet,still don't have the chance?..thank you..

ummmm, I seriously doubt this one as well. I think for you to become a GS employee, you also have to have US citizenship. Can't recall for sure, but hopefully someone that is GS will chime in here and prove me wrong. I will ask my colleagues tomorrow when I go to work.

Now, if you ended up working there as a contractor, I am not sure. I think the government will stipulate that all contractors have US citizenship. Not sure...

Good luck.

mlmdodge · Feb 8, 2011

@ armyicurn: thank you very much.i will wait for your response.Godbless..

armyicurn · Feb 8, 2011

Ok..seems that I was mistaken.

You can apply for GS jobs if you have a green card.

pearl_jammin_girl · Feb 9, 2011

Thanks for all the helpful information armyicurn!

I am also thinking about applying as a civilian nurse on an army base. Like newshark, I'm a new grad currently working as a perioperative nurse in an ambulatory surgery center. My goal is Germany though, so maybe I'll have a little luck. :)