Military Nursing Questions Answered

willhigg6 · May 9, 2012

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.

Navy NCP is $5k bonus upon acceptance to the program, $1k stipend each month the student is enrolled full time in his/her program, and another $5k bonus at the 6 month mark of being in the program. Same idea, but just different timing for the award of the second $5k.

charliegboma · May 13, 2012

navyman 7, thank you for the invaluable info you have provided thus far. I have a question for you Sir: thinking about joining the Navy when I graduate from nursing school and I am torn between psych and critical care. I would like to get my graduate degree before joining and I want to know what your thoughts are about waiting to get my MSN before joining and if there will be better opportunities in psych or anesthesia. Thank you.

navyman7 · May 15, 2012

charliegboma: those 2 areas of nursing are light years apart. You need to decide for yourself what kind of nurse you want to be because you can't do both of those.

As for coming into the Navy with your graduate degree, hard to say. I haven't seen anyone related to critical care nursing coming in with a graduate degree. Most join in order to have the Navy pay for their graduate degrees. It is definitely easier to get selected for masters in psych program than for anesthesia. The reason for that is there are many people in critical care who want to go on to CRNA school while I have only met 2-3 who have wanted to continue on with psych. They continually are asking those who work in psych if they want to apply for the graduate programs where in the ICU they don't ask people because there is always a surplus of people wanting to apply.

If it were me I would really ask myself what it is I want more; to work for the Navy or to get my masters. For me my masters was more important and joining the Navy wasn't the best move for me. I wanted the freedom to choose what school I went to and when. The Navy has its own ideas about that. Think about this stuff and let me know if this helps. I would be glad to discuss this more if I didn't quite answer your questions. I hope this helps some and good luck.

charliegboma · May 25, 2012

Navyman7,thank you for your remarks. The reason I am considering doing a Masters degree before joining is that I plan to apply for the loan repayment plan and I read somewhere that nurses with graduate degrees typically come in at 0-2, whereas those with just BSN (regardless of years of experience) come in at 0-1. You are in a better position to tell me if this is factually correct.I read on the NavyMed website that the maximum yearly loan repayment was $45,000 (less 25% federal tax). If I join the Navy with my BSN, it is very unlikely that I will be able to go to grad school within the first 3 years. If I come in with a grad degree, then I can leave service after my initial contract is over if I decide to. These are some of the thoughts I have flying in my head. If you had to do it all over again,would you join the Navy?

Amistad, RN · May 27, 2012

Hi there Navyman7! Next semester I will be entering my senior year of nursing school and will be graduating with a BSN and an EMT certification. I've been thinking about going into the armed forces to work eventually in critical care for the past six months. Your answers to the questions in this forum have been very helpful, so thank you!! I know most of these questions have been about logistics, but I'm still curious about the psychological and day-to-day components of being in the navy...

What does your typical day look like? When you have free time (if you do have free time) what do you do on a naval base? Do you have opportunities to leave and go into the surrounding cities/towns? Do you have a roommate or live alone? Have you made lasting friendships? Are most people in the navy married? I am single and would like to marry eventually (although I'm in no hurry)... Is it difficult to date while in the navy?

When you made the decision to join the navy, did you have friends or family who were against it? I would be the first person in my family to join the armed forces, and my parents are absolutely terrified of it. My mom thinks that being deployed would be a tragedy, while I would find it a blessing to have the opportunity to serve my country and the men and women who protect it. I know that I would not have the ability to choose where I live. Have you had to live someplace you did not want to be, and was it difficult to adjust to?

Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you :)

navyman7 · May 27, 2012

charliegboma: if you are wanting to start out at a higher rank then you need time as a nurse to quailfy. You don't necessarily need to get yout masters to come in as an O-2. Typically to come in as an O-2 you need around 4 years of nursing experience. If you have experience less than this then they will alter your date of rank so that when you come in as an O-1 you won't be in that rank for the whole 2 years, maybe 6 months or something like that.

Regarding your loan repayment, I haven't met anyone who has joined the Navy who has gotten that. What I have seen is this, after you fulfill your initial obligation and prepare to sign a new contract people opt for the retention bonus which will pay there student loans off up to a certain amount (maybe it's 45k, not sure about this). However there are other kinds of retention bonus' available. One that i am most familiar with is the critical care retention bonus. That bonus is dependent on you having your CCRN. If you have this then you can committ to staying at the bedside for another 4 years for 80K.

You are correct about having to wait to go to graduate school in the Navy. They won't let you go straight to school. Most have to wait at least 3 years before applying, but even that can vary. That's a much longer reply.

As for doing it all over again, very hard to say. Not sure. I had a job when most were struggling to find one. I got some very excellent training. If all the circumstances were different at the time of my application maybe I would reconsider.

navyman7 · May 27, 2012

Amistad, check your profile inbox.

charliegboma · May 27, 2012

navyman7, as always, i appreciate your frankness. on the issue of loan repayment, this is the info i got from the navy medicine professional development center about the loan repayment gig:

[h=1]health professions loan repayment program (hplrp)[/h]the health professions loan repayment program (hplrp) provides an incentive to new accessions to enter the navy, and current active duty medical personnel to extend their active duty commitment through the payment of professional educational loans. the maximum yearly loan repayment for fy2010 is $40,000, minus ~25% federal income taxes, which are taken out prior to lender repayment. payments are sent directly to the lending institution on behalf of the hplrp participant. bumed note 1110 provides guidance for active duty professionals who want to apply for the hplrp. assistant secretary of defense for health affairs (asd(ha))policy 08-006 is the authorizing instruction for the hplrp program.

then there is a link that talks about the required service obligation for participation in the program. the following was also copied from the site:

c. nurse corps(nc). the minimum duty obligation (mdo) for ncdirect accession officers is 3 years. the service obligation for accepting an accession bonus is 3 years for$20k and 4 years for $30k. for ncofficers accepting an accession bonus, the service obligation for the accessionbonus is served concurrently with the mdo. if an hplrp is added to theincentive package, the obligation for the hplrp is added to the obligation forthe accession bonus. if no accessionbonus is awarded, the hprlp obligation is served concurrently with the mdo.examples follow for inputting information into the accession hplrp contract,paragraph 17:

1. example for nc with $20k accession bonus and 1 year hplrp:

iunderstand that in return for ___1_____ year(s) of loan repayment, ishall serve ___2_____ years on active duty. if i have taken asigning bonus, my hplrp active duty obligation (ado) will be added to mysigning bonus obligation, and will be served after the ado for the signingbonus. unless previously completed, i shall also serve any remaining previousirr obligation, unless it is mutually agreed that my irr obligation shall beserved on active duty. i understand that my total ado as of the date i signthis contract, including the adhplrp ado shall be _____5______ (years).

i know it's a lengthy piece but this is what i found while researching the navy. as far as i can tell, this is the most recent info on the navy.mil site on the available accession/retention incentives.

navyman7 · May 28, 2012

charlie, thanks for the update. I do remember that now that you mention it. I have never seen anyone take that route. Maybe its the payback that's too long for people to commit to all that time. Thanks for the info.

Amistad, RN · May 29, 2012

Thanks for the message! It won't let me reply to private messages, but I did receive it and it was very helpful! I will look into the BAH and continue doing my research into navy nursing... I will comment again here if I have more questions!

Thanks again :)

sailornurse · May 30, 2012

Hey, don't forget Mercy's sister ship, the Comfort! I was deployed on it during Persian Gulf War.

PS- your information is extremely well researched and detailed. Thank you.

Jmag1213 · Jun 1, 2012

Hello, I am currently working on pre-nursing, going for my bachelors. I'm interested in specializing in pediatrics oncology. I've recently been looking into becoming a navy nurse. I've read many threads on NCP and ODS. I know this is years away but I'm trying to get information. I know that there are 3 big hospitals where one can get stationed. My question is how do you go about getting into peds after arriving to your first duty station? Is this even possible?question is how could I pursue peds in the navy?