FNEP/General Army Nursing Questions

[Trin]

I'm a little less than one year from the end of my committment on Active Duty and I intend to pursue my RN upon completion of my service. I was wondering if anyone as done the FNEP program and 'crossed over' or, if anyone has had experience as an Army Nurse, how it's gone for them. I ask because I've had a very negative Army experience for several years and I'm leaning towards getting out.

I've always been very impressed with the professionalism of the Nurse Corps and I'm mostly interested in how the leadership is on the AMEDD side of the house and whether or not they take care of their people - Enlisted and Officer. Do they provide training opportunities? If a person wants to deploy, are they permitted to do so or to seek such chances? If anyone has switched over - is there less daily BS on that side of the house and more common sense (ex. PT, paperwork issues)? How do many shifts can I expect in the course of a week? How involved is the NC with the WTU programs? Are the spouses much of an issue so far as IG goes (I ask because I saw one of 'my' spouses inappropriately rip into a nurse when she felt that she wasn't getting proper treatment(she was))? How do 'command' issues work on the AMEDD side of the house (are there commands or is the NC more like an FA with those kinds of assignments?)? Also - how much hands-on, patient-oriented time will I have? One of the most maddening and frustrating issues I've had is being stuck behind a desk and doing paperwork.

Thank you very much for any advice and/or assistance you can provide in helping me make an informed decision.

[JulesQ]

Trin, I am currently in FNEP in Savannah attending AASU's nursing program in my senior year. I wish I could answer your questions but I actually have a question of my own. (Sorry)

I am trying to get a response as to how much time will be taken off from my prior commissioned service since I would normally be a major in a couple of years from now. So far, I haven't gotten a straight answer (or any answer) yet after e-mailing [email protected]. However, before beginning FNEP, I was told that I could expect half of my time to be taken away, which would still leave me as a captain, but I cannot find any regs that detail this.

The directive cited as a source detailing this in the FNEP booklet (found on AKO's Nurse Corps site) is DoD Directive 1312.3. However, after reading through this directive carefully, I found that it states repeatedly that when it comes to health professionals, which includes nurses, it is may not be applicable, leaving me confused as to what to look at for a definite answer. If anyone has been through FNEP and knows what happens to your rank and year group recalculation after you graduate, I would appreciate it!

[Rose3721]

I have a few buddies that did the Army Enlisted Commissioning Program, AECP. I did ROTC myself. They said that its definitely an adjustment to the officer side of the house. As far as deployments go, you can put your name on a volunteer list for deployments and they try to utilize those personnel before tasking others from the hospital to deploy. There are tons of training opportunities. I'v already been to 3 different trainings that provide certifications in a 6 month time span.

As far as rank goes, it is dependent on your years of experience as an RN. So if you have no RN experience you're coming in as a 2LT. If you have 3 years you're a 1LT. For your pay you'll be paid based on time in service but the rank in the nurse corps is based soley on RN experience.

[jerseygirl_1971]

well, i have to say julesq said it best: i am an fnep graduate and is still awaiting answers to those same questions or a reduction. so if anyone gets an answer to this question: where is the regulation that governs rank reduction for the fnep program? please let me know. i'm the first graduate from the program and it's frustrating because i would like to know what my new date of rank is, if it is not my old one......on the grand scheme of things-it is a wonderful program because we are afforded the opportunity to attend school, get paid and not have to worry about the financial cost.

as for working, well we are required to work 84 hours in a two week period. we rotate shifts depending on facility. it has the same craziness the "regular army" has on a different scale.

sorry, i’m not much help in answering a straight forward question, but just didn’t want anyone to think they go straight back to 2lt, this only applies to the aecp (sister program to the fnep) for enlisted.