Enlisted Navy to Nurse Corps with RN and BSN (Help!)

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Hello everyone,

I am a new graduate BSN RN and have always wanted to serve in the United States Navy. During nursing school, I was working with a Nurse Corps officer recruiter in San Diego and went through the very lengthy process of building my kit for selection for Direct Accession into the Nurse Corps for fiscal year 2014. Long story short, I had a very strong application but when the numbers came out for Direct Accession, it was zero nationwide (which I know many of you looking into this path know very well).

With all of the budget cuts and downsizing, it doesn't seem to be likely that the next fiscal year will be any different which brings me to a crossroad that I hope some of you can help with.

I really have a strong desire to serve in the Navy during this time in my life and bringing this up to my recruiter he asked if I would be willing to enlist and commission later down the line as an officer through an enlisted-to-officer program the Navy has. I told him I would be but I want to make the most informed decision as this is a huge one. He was very understanding which makes me think that he's genuinely not trying to screw me over.

So my questions....

1. How likely is it that an enlisted sailor (hopefully get hospital corpsman rating) to commission into the Nurse Corps with a BSN and RN in hand?

2. Has anybody gone this route before?

3. How likely is it that I get into the Hospital Corpsman rating when enlisting?

4. To any current Hospital Corpsman, what are the pros and cons of your job?

5. Will it be more difficult for me down the line to work as an RN as a civilian if I don't get a nurse position during my time with the Navy?

I understand the specificity of these questions and the small chance that any one person can answer all of these questions, but ANY input will be appreciated.

Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

Oh, come on. Don't start with the doom and gloom. The nursing shortage was postponed by bad economic conditions. It's still on its way. Older nurses delayed retirement because their IRAs tanked. Part time nurses went full time because their spouses got laid off. Laid off workers from other industries went back to school and became nurses. The economy is recovering and things will change.

The military is competitive right now, because they are trying to cut a bloated force left over from a decade of Iraq/Afghanistan. Those conflicts are winding down, and therefore we don't need as many people in the military.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Oh, come on. Don't start with the doom and gloom. The nursing shortage was postponed by bad economic conditions. It's still on its way. Older nurses delayed retirement because their IRAs tanked. Part time nurses went full time because their spouses got laid off. Laid off workers from other industries went back to school and became nurses. The economy is recovering and things will change.

It's not doom and gloom. Its the truth as I see it. I have been observing and participating in nursing for 18 years or so. In that time there has never been more than highly local shortages of nurses. There have been time when there were many nursing jobs available, and hospitals have had difficulty hiring nurses. That didn't indicate a shortage. Just that in a booming economy many nurses had other, better opportunities and took advantage of them rather than submit to the pay and working conditions being offered.

The economy down turn had nothing to do with the current glut of nurses, It was well on it's way. The economy simply moved the glut day ahead a few years.

As for the standard party line of the glut being a result of nurse spouses being laid off, and older nurses not retiring. That is nothing but propaganda and I am disappointed that so many fall for it.

Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. However, I'm not sure the general consensus in the healthcare industry agrees.

Here is a position statement by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing: American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Nursing Shortage | TEST. They cite numerous surveys, articles, and studies to back up their opinion: nursing jobs are projected to increase faster than the supply of workers. You can't fake numbers like 'average age of nurses increasing' or 'number of new nursing homes and home health agencies increasing.'

I'd be interested to see if you have any info to the contrary. I'm not really sure who stands to gain by propagating a myth of a nursing shortage. Nursing schools hoping to increase enrollment? I've never heard of a nursing school having any trouble finding applicants. Ask any recent nursing applicant. There are either waiting lists or rigorous academic acceptance standards.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Here is a position statement by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing: American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Nursing Shortage | TEST. They cite numerous surveys, articles, and studies to back up their opinion: nursing jobs are projected to increase faster than the supply of workers. You can't fake numbers like 'average age of nurses increasing' or 'number of new nursing homes and home health agencies increasing.'

First the anti nursing organization AACN has zero credibility. I am surprised that anyone would use them as a reference.

Back in 2006, when there where many, many open nursing positions and hospitals could hardly hire enough nurses to staff I had to write a paper about the supposed nursing shortage. I looked at two states at the time. Wisconsin and California. Both states had enough licensed RNs to staff every RN position in the state at 150% (CA) and 120% (WI) even after controlling for licensed nurses who were retired, travelers, etc.

I also wrote a paper on the California department of corrections heath care after they were placed in federal receivership. I found that despite the mush and constant propaganda about the "nursing shortage" the DOC was able to hire all the nurses they needed after a federal judge increased starting wages to around $100K. Even paying decent wages saved them money on agency nurses and OT.

I'm not really sure who stands to gain by propagating a myth of a nursing shortage.

Really? Nurse employers stand to benifit, and are currently benefiting dramatically from the created glut of nurses.

Nursing schools hoping to increase enrollment? I've never heard of a nursing school having any trouble finding applicants. Ask any recent nursing applicant. There are either waiting lists or rigorous academic acceptance standards.

Some schools yes. In particular the private for-profit schools that charge outrageous tuition for basic nursing education. The false propaganda of the "nursing shortage" greatly assists them in duping the ill-informed into spending vast amounts of money for basic nursing education. However the real beneficiaries, and the creators or the glut are those who employ nurses.

It is expensive to treat and pay nurses decently. When they had a hard time filling jobs it was necessary for employers to behave decently or risk having their nurses vote with their feet.

Have you seen the wage surveys here on AN? RNs starting out at less than $20/hour in many places.

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/nursing-salary-survey-895587.html

Have you seen the discussions of health systems cutting nurses wages?

https://allnurses.com/nursing-activism-healthcare/big-pay-cut-849659.html

Have you seen the discussions of hospitals flaunting their power over nurses and treating them like children?

https://allnurses.com/nursing-scrubs-uniforms/mandatory-scrub-color-918657.html

Obviously I am not the only one who realizes that the supposed "nursing shortage" is nothing but propaganda.

https://allnurses.com/nursing-activism-healthcare/there-really-nursing-908443.html

This has strayed a little off topic but I have to say that as a recent graduate of a for profit school, it was very clear to me that many of my peers decided to take up nursing because of the projected "nursing shortage" in hopes of a well paying stable job. Well, it has been almost a year and most of my cohort members are still looking for jobs and the ones who have found employment are those who had friends/family in their places of employment.

The individuals who went into the profession without the passion for nursing have been forced to find employment in other fields just so that they can pay for their education that they wouldn't have necessarily sought if it weren't for the constant feed of a nursing shortage on the horizon. The same goes for those who really did want to become nurses. The only difference is their drive to find something regardless of how many applications they fill out without getting replies from employers.

I can see both points of view but all I can say is based on my experience and based on the now, there is no shortage. Hospitals are understaffed yet new grads won't even be considered. And the worse part is the new grad pool continues to get even more saturated.

Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

I appreciate the lively discussion PMFB-RN, but I don't see how Allnurses.com discussion feeds are more credible than the American Association of Colleges of Nursing website. Literally anyone can create an account and post their opinions. Plus, I'm not sure why you distrust the AACN; it holds schools to standards to protect the public. What does the AACN or NLN (http://www.nln.org/aboutnln/shortage_info.htm) have to gain from creating a fake nursing shortage? I doubt there is any major nursing organization who says there isn't a shortage coming. That's not propaganda. It's consensus.

I think you're missing the point I was trying to make. I agree that there is not currently (and hasn't recently been) a nursing shortage. My point is that there will eventually be a shortage. Yeah, it's been predicted for years and hasn't come to fruition. However, I already told you that there are many factors (economic mostly) to explain the delay.

Look at this survey from the US Bureau of Health Professions: http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/nursingworkforce/nursingworkforcefullreport.pdf

Only 38.5% of the RN workforce is under 40 as of 2010. That other 71.5% (2 million nurses) retires in the next 20 years; almost half of them will retire in the next 10 years. 86,337 new nurses graduated per year in 2011. That means ~140,000 nurse deficit if demand/supply stays the same in 10 years, although it won't. This is because new nurses quit at a rate of 20% for their 1st year (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-15-nursing-shortage_N.htm), and clearly the U.S. population is getting much older. 21.1% increase in adults over 62 in last 10 years (http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf); those people are more likely to end up sick.

I guess I just don't see how you can look at those numbers and not see the eventual shortage.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Please people, stay on topic. There are other more appropriate forums on allnurses for discussing the nursing shortage, real or imagined. :) Thanks!

I agree with what everyone else is saying on this forum. Get some experience first as an RN in the civilian sector or continue your education and get a certification in a specialty and then apply to a branch. The more you can bring to the table the better your chances are.

If you went in as an HM, it would only be a waste of a nursing degree in my opinion. Don't short change yourself and all the hard work that you have done in nursing school.

Could I ask, why did you and your classmates attend a for profit school as opposed to a state institution? If employers can be selective (like they can in SD) they will take someone who went the longer and more challenging route of a state school than someone who tried to just hurry up and get a "degree" at a for profit school

DO NOT JOIN THE ENLISTED TO BE A NURSE! There are never garantees that you will be able to convert. Tell your recruiter "Chief said NO!"

Second that from another Chief!

Lol I enlisted with a BSN... but that's because I left the nursing profession, sad to say. I'm 24, worked as an ICU nurse at a level 1 trauma, one of the best hospitals in the nation, and got burned out and hated being bullied as a new grad. Decided not to work as a nurse in the meantime and enjoy my 20s and life. I want to travel for free, be adventurous, see the world, and meet awesome people as life-long Friends, and have always thought about joining the military since before nursing school so I enlisted.

I thought about nurse corps, but told me they were accepting only peds and maternity/OB as well as CRNA and NP (PNP and PMHNP). I was told that you can also gain volunteer expereince in those fields for 90 days and they'll count it as experience too. So I didn't bother with the Nurse Corps, and reminded myself that I didn't want to be a nurse anymore (or at least at this time).

Next, with just a bachelors degree, I thought about being a naval aviator/pilot or being an officer of some sort. After doing my reseraching and talking to people and recruiters and homework about this route, I decided no. Those who do want to be an officer need to have a good GPA. The first question I was asked was "what is your GPA?" Even if I had a 3.7 magna cum laude etc., I didn't want to do it.

The last thing was the enlisted route. Since I wanted to join the Navy to have fun and all, I decided to not waste anymore time and enlist since it was faster. Currently in the navy as an E3 (active duty). I felt proud of myself and feel like this will be a decision I will not regret.

For those who do want to join the army/navy/air force nurse corps, I say do it if you can. But some advice I'll tell you is to think long and hard about this decision be it officer or enlist BEFORE you become active duty. I was told this same advice from a veteran patient at a hospital I used to volunteer when I was still a nursing student. Turns out, he was right and I am telling you this too.

I still have plans eventually to return back to nursing when I'm in my 30s or so... but right now, I want to enjoy life and not have the stress of being stuck and "set in my ways" yet. I wouldn't even mind performing nursing duties while on board ships during emergencies should there be less HMs or what not and wouldn't mind volunteering myself to go be sent to crisis areas in the world such as typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes for nursing duties as well. Speaking another language in the Navy helps a lot too.

I wish you good luck in whatever path you choose.

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