Military Nurse

[keegs13]

Risking sounding like an idiot... here goes:

I want to do something involving the military, whether that be military intel/ intelligence analyst or a nurse. Most likely nurse, but I have a few questions if anyone can help me out!! I am looking at becoming an RN at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's nursing. :)

1. What exactly is the difference between a military nurse and a civilian nurse that works on the base, can you be a civilian nurse working on a base?

2. is my BSN enough?

3. Can anyone enlighten me on what EXACTLY the military nursing experience is like.. are you always with the military? how do you choose a branch? what do you usually do?

Thanks!!!

[keegs13]

Mike,

Thank you so much! Your response was perfect! I'm glad it is Army specific, as I just applied for my Army ROTC Scholarship! Contrary to others' opinions, I am looking most forward to the physical training and hardships of becoming an Army nurse, thank you for the realistic outlook, though.

I was wondering, since the Nurse Corps Scholarship for Army ROTC is a 4 year scholarship, would the Army still pay for my schooling past my 4 year degree(bsn) to get my masters? Also, would you recommend getting my four year degree, then finishing in the Army for my masters?

I was really considering Emergency nursing, do you know enough about it to answer some questions regarding it?

Thank you so much for your response!

Keegs

[MikePLSDCA]

Keegs--glad to hear you're up for the rigors of the Army, because not many people are! Some of it is a lot of fun, and some of it downright sucks. In reality, the stuff you learn in ROTC is all aimed toward making an Infantry officer (leading missions, shooting guns, helicopters...)---stuff you won't really use in the Nurse Corps for the most part. But it certainly gives you an appreciation for the rest of the Army, and some of the rigors that your fellow soldiers have to go through in their jobs.

The ROTC scholarship will only pay for your bachelor's degree, and generally they will only award you a scholarship the will cover however many semesters you need to graduate with your degree. If you're already in college, you'll fill out a CC 104-R form which will show what you will take every semester, and from that they'll determine how many semesters of scholarship to award you. Generally Nursing majors get 4 years worth of scholarship, and that can even be extended a year to 5 years if needed. From what I understand now, they are awarding line scholarships initially (a standard ROTC scholarship) and then converting that to a nursing scholarship once you actually get accepted into your nursing program (nursing scholarships include a few extra perks).

If you do end up taking the Army ROTC scholarship, they will likely make you go on active duty in the Nurse Corps as soon as you graduate with your BSN and pass the NCLEX-RN. You may be able to finagle to stay in school to get your master's immediately after your bachelor's degree by doing an additional ADSO (active duty service obligation) beyond your four years, but from what I understand, the Army Nurse Corps prefers to get nurses onto active duty so you can work as a nurse for a few years before you pursue your master's. But, there's an exception to every rule. If you have over a 3.00 undergraduate GPA, then you're pretty much guaranteed graduate school with the Army at some point if you stay in long enough---just realize that whenever they pay for school, you owe them more time.

However, what is nice about earning your master's degree while on active duty is that you still get your full active duty salary and housing allowance, as well as benefits, and still earn time towards making rank and retirement, in addition to having your tuition paid for (but there is a tuition cap I believe). Unlike in ROTC, where you're not on active duty and your time does not count toward retirement, and you only get a $300-$500/month stipend.

I'd try out ROTC and your first few years of active duty to see how you like the military before planning too far out into the future and signing up for extra time. Trust me, 4 years of ROTC gets a bit old toward the end, and as it is, you'll have a 4 year active duty service obligation.

Hope this helps! I really wish someone would have answered my questions when I started it all---so anything I can help you out with let me know! I've learned a ridiculous amount over the past 4 years, and I'm still learning.

[keegs13]

Mike,

I am not in college yet, I'm a senior in high school so I just applied for my 4-year scholarship. Since you are the one to ask, how is it? That's the question I really want to hear, what was your favorite part, least favorite? Have you been deployed , if yes, what is it like?

Sorry for all the questions, your answers are EXTREMELY helpful!!

Thanks!

Keegs

[MikePLSDCA]

Hey Keegs--congrats on finishing high school.

I actually just finished up ROTC and college myself--I start active duty next month. I'll be attending Army Medical Department Officer Basic Leadership Course (AMEDD OBLC) in San Antonio, TX next month. It should be a breeze after being in ROTC. So really, I can't answer too many questions about being on active duty as an Army nurse, as my only experience was about a month worth last summer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center while I was at Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP), which is actually where they ended up assigning me, so I'll head there after OBLC.

When I was in high school I had no idea I wanted to do nursing or be in the Army, so I actually picked up my scholarship after my first year of college. I changed my major 3 times and settled on nursing after hearing about the scholarship, so it took me 4.5 years to finish.

In regard to ROTC, they physical stuff was never very difficult for me---and the required physical training (PT) that we had to do in the morning during the week was a bit annoying sometimes, because it wasn't really hard enough to be worth the time (because there were a fair amount of out-of-shape people). Like I said, the field training stuff that we have to learn and get tested on is stuff that we'll probably never use as nurses (knocking out a bunker, setting up an ambush... etc.), so that is a bit frustrating sometimes. But at the same time, a lot of it is fun, because you're kind of "playing soldier."

If you're not comfortable getting up in front of people and talking, or taking charge, ROTC definitely helps with that, because you'll more than likely get A LOT of experience doing that. I thought that was pretty valuable. It really trains you to be an officer and leader. ROTC specifically trains you to be a platoon leader. As a new officer in the Nurse Corps, your primary responsibility is to be a RN and to enhance your clinical skills---you won't be a platoon leader like most 2nd Lieutenants. However, you will likely be charge nurse very fast, and then as you progress in rank, be in charge of a floor, etc...

As frustrating as ROTC often was, I'm proud to have completed it, because it certainly was not easy a lot of the time. Looking back, it really did teach me a lot, and I'm proud to be a Commissioned Officer in the US Army. Although I still have a lot to learn, I think the tools and skills I learned in nursing school and in college have really prepared me to make a difference for the better---whether that be here in the states, or in a tent somewhere abroad supporting a combat unit.

[shapely]

Congrats mike!

[keegs13]

Mike,

CONGRATS on college, ROTC, and nursing! You're doing everything that I'm getting into, so your answers are extremely helpful!

Did you go to LTC? And can you explain a little more about NSTP, I have read about it, but it confuses me because I don't understand if it is training or an internship sort of thing, possibly both? Also, did you get to pick three options of where you wanted to be stationed, or did they just put you where they needed you?

Once again, thank you so much for your responses!

Keegs