Military Nursing Questions Answered

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Hello. I have seen many questions posted about the recruiting, the military, and future military experiences, I wanted to start a Q & A forum where you can ask questions related to the military from someone who is in the military.

- I am NOT a recruiter. I am fellow nurse who wants to inform others so they will be more informed than I was when I joined.

- I have been in the U.S. Navy for almost 3 years now. I have worked in the ICU for the same amount of time. I have also deployed as a Navy Nurse overseas. I am currently pursuing a masters in anesthesia degree.

- I will do my best to answer all questions. I will not lie to you about the military. If the subject is sensitive and possible jeopordize my career I will not answer you publicly about the issue but in a private email response.

Thanks and good luck.

Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

Well said, I learned to swim compliments of the Navy at what was then called OIS (officer indoctrination school) so we were called Oisters of course, now it is called ODS! I still remember the USS Buttercup!

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Specializes in Nursing.

Hello - I am considering joining the Air Force Reserves as a nurse. I am currently a new grad (associates degree) working in the emergency department at my hospital. I really enjoy emergency and first responder type of practice. I have a friend who was in the Air Force Reserves and she gained a lot of experience in public health. I am working towards my Bachelors degree and will wait to apply to the Air Force Reserves until I am finished with my BSN.

The main reasons I want to join the Air Force Reserves (AFR) are because I would like to travel, I would like to receive excellent training, and possibly further my education into either ... Family Nurse Practitioner, or some form of public health - like epidemiology or environmental health. I am not 100% sure where I am heading at this point ... trying to figure that out!!! I am mainly wondering what sorts of training opportunities will I have in the AFR that I wouldn't have as a civilian. Also, is it worth joining the AFR this late in the game (I am 35 years old) - or should I just go be a travel nurse and keep my freedom? :-)

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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Military Nursing.

anne-marie; unfortunately I know nothing about the AF. You should try starting a new thread about your questions regarding the AFR. Good Luck.

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I am a recent BSN grad applying for Navy nursing. I have applied for the officer candidate program twice while in school but I did an accelerated BSN program and the time was off both times and I couldn't get in. So, now that I'm done I'm trying again. I also have the desire to become a CRNA. What have you found about DUINS? I'm starting nursing a little later in life (I'm 31) and don't really want to wait forever to be able to get the chance to get into a CRNA school. I just started a civilian job in an ICU step-down unit since I couldn't land an ICU job as a new grad. Thought that would be a good option to set me up for ICU either with or without the Navy. I would appreciate any info you want to provide. Thanks!!

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By joining the military or staying civilian you are a long ways away from becoming a CRNA. As you know you must get into an ICU not a stepdown unit. It is easy to land a job in the ICU right out of school. Sorry you couldn't. You can always try to transfer now. Or just stay where you are in a step down unit as a civilian.

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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Military Nursing.

MelissaD,

Age isn't really an issue in the Navy as long as you are in the Navy then you are eligible to apply for DUINS (if you meet all the other requirements too of course). What kinds of things are you wanting to know about DUINS?

Your step down nursing experience will be a benefit to you when you apply to the Navy. Don't give up your current job as a BSN until you get more than 1 year of experience in. This will help you when you apply and it will help you with obtaining an adjusted date of rank which will allow you to promote faster. Let me know what other kinds of questions you have.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Hi navyman7,

Does the Navy go through the C-STARS (Centers for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills) program at R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center just like the Air Force does as part of pre-deployment preparations?

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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Military Nursing.

RNMAYO,

I haven't heard of that course, but maybe some hospitals send there people to it just not ours. At San Diego they send people to C4 course in texas, and some can attend a trauma course in LA for a few weeks.

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Hello,

Im currently 27 and Im going to school for my RN. I went to the navy website and Im trying to find out as much info as I can regarding the Navy Reserves and the Navy nursing program. I had thought of doing Reserves while in school and then going active duty once I graduate. I want to become successful and all aspect of my nursing career . But I have a few questions

Should I finish School and get my BSN in Nursing then apply for the navy?

If I join reserve can I still continue going to school ?

Will the navy pay for my books?

What type of training im going to do?

Where will I be stationed?

Thansk for your help!

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Hi,

I have my BSN and 3+ years experience in Labor and Delivery. I've seen a lot of posts about ICU RN's and the Navy. Do you have any knowledge about how it works for those that don't have a critical care/Med-Surg/ER background? I've never worked any area other than OB. My other question is - I know a lot of people posting on here want to be deployed - however I don't. I would like to stay stateside. I have a large family and at 34 years old I have 4 children, 2 stepchildren and a grandchild. What is the likelihood of having to be deployed for someone who specializes in OB do you think? I am just starting to look into possibly contacting a recruiter but I'm hesistant at this very beginning stage because I don't want to be hounded if I decide this isn't for me. I need to do a whole lot of physical conditioning to make the Physical requirements - though I easily meet the height/weight requirements. Also, what's the difference between DA & NCP. Thanks in advance for any advice/guidance anyone can provide.

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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Military Nursing.

MA Nurse,

You can join the reserves, but unless you already have your BSN you will become an enlisted personell and the Navy will own you. After you finish your contract for the navy then you can utilize your GI Bill and then use that to pay for nursing school. There are a few ways to get the Navy to pay for your schooling such as ROTC, and the NCP program. You need to start by talking to a health care recruiter and go from there.

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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Military Nursing.

imanhonest one: Lots of questions to answer here. Overall I would say that the Navy is NOT for you. The Navy may say that you won't deploy but that is not guaranteed. People deploy all the time and it would be up to you to find a way to have your kids watched. The Navy comes first, always.

As for OB, if you have OB experience then getting into OB shouldn't be a problem. Again, nothing is 100%. As for contacting a recruiter, they won't harass you. They have many people looking into becoming a navy nurse, too many in fact. So if you don't want it, they most likey won't pursue you.

DA is direct accession. This means that if you are a BSN licensed RN then you can join the Navy and recieve a signing bonus for X amount of years. The NCP program is for people in a BSN program who are looking to join the Navy and would like to get some financial help while in school. Good luck.

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