Military Nursing Questions Answered

[navyman7]

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.

[MBRN74]

Oaktown,

so does that mean you are still in school? Oh wow, congrats to you. Thank you so much.

I'm really trying hard to get into critical care someplace as that's what their needs are. They said i need to get experience in that and then i can apply for it after that. Or can apply for med/surg at the next board. We shall see what happens,. Some people get picked up fast and then commission right away it seems. Others seem to have to wait so who knows.

[oaktown2]

Yes, I am still in school. I am happy to have the selection process behind me, but it just means that instead of waiting to hear if I have been selected, I am waiting for the next step to happen. I never realized it would be so much waiting, but it will be worth it.

Again, good luck with your packet! And my advice is to make sure your packet is ready as early as you can. You never know what things they will throw your way or when your recruiter will just be busy with other things.

[MBRN74]

oaktown

thanks for the info. i have been thru this once and will be keeping on top of it. I missed the boards last year and it was full within the first month, uuugghhh...

Needless to say i'm not getting any younger soooo....

thank you

[ATLRN0828]

Hey MBRN74,

Are you applying to the boards or have you been accepted already?

[dj-usrn]

hi everyone..

i would like to ask questions about joining the navy reserve.. i graduated 2008, in the philippines, took my nclex last year (August 2011) and a registered nurse. I'm having a hard time looking for a job, everybody's telling me to try navy. my questions are:

- what are the requirements? am not yet a citizen but a green card holder.

- do they accept new RN's? i have no experience at all except being a student nurse

- how long will i serve? is it 3-5 years?

- for reserve nurse, where do they deploy me? i work one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year ?

- what are the benefits?

thank you in advance

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

There is basic requirement info in the "sticky" thread at the bottom of this forum. You must be a US citizen for active duty and your school must have CCNE or NLNAC accreditation.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

hi everyone..

i would like to ask questions about joining the navy reserve.. i graduated 2008, in the philippines, took my nclex last year (august 2011) and a registered nurse. i'm having a hard time looking for a job, everybody's telling me to try navy. my questions are:

- what are the requirements? am not yet a citizen but a green card holder. see lunah's answer

- do they accept new rn's? i have no experience at all except being a student nurse most services require some sort of experience, varies by service and status (active or reserve)

- how long will i serve? is it 3-5 years?all contracts are for 8 years, how you serve is based on the contract. if active duty will have to serve 3 years active then 5 years reserves either active reserves (1 weekend a month etc.) or inactive reserves (warm body who could get a call)

- for reserve nurse, where do they deploy me?

anywhere that they need you; from a base just down the road to any where in the world.

i work one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year ? for the most part yes, but depending on the unit could be different

- what are the benefits? depends what your status is, active or reserves.

thank you in advance

......

[bmichellejoyner]

this thread is amazing. thank you so much for all the info!

i hold a bs in sociology and have been accepted into an accelerated bsn program, beginning in june of this year. it's a small private school, and i'm worried about how i'm going to cover the expense. i like the idea of taking care of those individuals who take care of us, so nursing in the military seems like it might be a great way to meet my financial needs while doing fulfilling work.

does anyone know what sort of benefits i might be eligible to receive as a student? since i already hold a bs, would this change my application status at all and/or potential benefits? how long does the process typically take, from application to acceptance into the service and then disbursement of benefits? i'm open to the possibility of working in any branch.

i'm 28 (i'll be 29 in july), and my program will end in august of 2013. thus, i'll be 30 when i could be commissioned. is this within the age limitations? also, my school is very small and does not have any rotc programs, though they do have a cooperative agreement with an afrotc program another school in portland.

thanks!

michelle

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

Each service has its own benefits while in school. Once you graduate all the benefits are the same. The only difference would be a signing bonus which varies by service. What you need to do is contact a healthcare recruiter for each service and speak with them to see which one would be the best fit for you.

[navyman7]

BMICHELLE: i would get started on whatever application you decide on ASAP as that process can take a while (months). Regarding benefits, your benefits start day 1 of going Active Duty, so no health benefits while you're in school. Hope this helps.

[bmichellejoyner]

Thanks, navyman. :)

For anyone else who is browsing this board for info, here's what I've found out from some very helpful AF and Army healthcare recruiters in the past couple of days:

The Army and Navy both offer programs for students who are currently in the process of earning their BSNs. I can't speak to the specifics of the Navy program, but for the Army, there is a $5k bonus upon acceptance to the program, a $1k stipend each month the student is enrolled full time in his/her program, and another $5k bonus at graduation. (I believe that the Navy's program is similar, but don't quote me.) After passing boards, the student will head to BOLC and active duty.

The AF, however, doesn't have a program of this sort. They do offer a scholarship for nursing students who are also in AFROTC; however, if you have a previous bachelors -- like me -- then you won't be eligible for AFROTC. Bummer.

Thanks again to everyone on the thread for their helpful info so far!

-Michelle

[bmichellejoyner]

Oh! And I almost forgot: the boards are in October for the Army program, so I'll be starting my packet next month for submission this fall. :)