ER Army Specialty

For all Army specialized areas you will need 1 year of Med-Surg Nursing first before you can attend the course for that area.

as a note: you are currently able to get a 'course guarantee' so that you will be able to attend a specialty army course and then gain the identifier/specialty code and then most likely work in that area...
however those guarantees are only limited to four areas... psych, ob, icu and or. Otherwise you would want to enter directly into your specialty area which requires experience as a civilian nurse.
You cannot get the ER course guaranteed and i've read other stipulations ie course guarantee is only available for those with first duty station that is conus - now you can have ER experience and enter directly with that qualifier... or enter army and work to gain exp and then attend ER course.

This is from the Army website:

There are four 16 week courses available as a Generic Course Guarantee:

• Critical Care Nursing Course
• Operating Room Nursing Course
• Psychiatric/ Mental Health Nursing Course
• Obstetrical/Gynecological Nursing Course

There are two other courses that require a nomination from the Chief Nurse of the military treatment facility after you complete one year on Active Duty. The Chief Nurse can nominate you for the Army Public Health Nursing Course or the Emergency Room Nursing Course. (this means it is not guaranteed upon entry).

It is always good to get verification of anything your recruiter tells you... and to see it in writing before you accept it as the complete truth.

.... as with everything in the military it is 'situationally dependent'. I would say if you are dead set on ER then work as a civilian for a few years and gain the base line ER requirements that enable you to enter the Army as an ER nurse off the bat and therefore you won't attend that course as you will have that MOS specialty or code identifier... if it were me I'd join and select an alternate course guarantee... establish myself on my first job.... be a good LT.... impress my CDR and work towards changing from my initial guarantee to ER specialty course and a year or two down the road... it may work out - if not I'd have the experience and the guaranteed opportunity in a different course.
v/r

I think what JC is getting at is, as a new grad nurse, you will first be in a med/surg position. once you get that basic experience, you will then be able to go to the course guaranteed in your contract. During that year or so of med/surge, you could also be working with your chain of command towards your goal of the ER course. If you get recommended and selected for the ER course, then that is great and you are on your path to your goal, but if you do not get recommended/selected, for whatever reason, you would still have the specialty course guaranteed in your contract as a second option.

Follow your dreams, but have a back up plan
LA40