Nursing corps

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Mar 15, 2016

Why does everyone start thinking about FNP and CRNA (and even MD?) before they even finish their nursing pre-reqs? I think you need to figure out if you're happy being a nurse for a while or not. If you absolutely need to be an advanced practice provider ASAP, then I would rack up loans and join the military after you become an FNP or CRNA or MD; being in the military will make everything take a lot longer (10-12 years more in the case of CRNA).

Editorial Team / Moderator · Mar 15, 2016

I know I want my Masters as a FNP or CNRA but even getting my MD degree would be cool as well. Can anyone give me some things to consider?

Please consider that the medical model and the nursing model are very different. If you seriously want to pursue a career in medicine, look into that instead of nursing. As the wife of a med student, I can tell you that the process of application and acceptance to med school is very difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Tens of thousands of people apply and are not accepted anywhere every year. You don't just "get" an MD degree. I have an all new respect for med school graduates after watching my husband study for the MCAT, then apply, then submit secondary applications, then wait for invitations to interview at schools, then travel all over for interviews, then hold his breath waiting for the acceptance we wanted (and he ultimately got, thank goodness).

What interests you in nursing vs. medicine? Examining these things may be helpful for you.

Jdorm40 · Mar 16, 2016

Thanks pixie for your insight on med school. I'm not even waisting time explaining myself concerning the first comment. I've done more than enough research as to the nursing field. For that reason I know beyond the shadow of a doubt I'm going beyond my BSN either as a cran or fnp. I suppose the question is for any advice about joining the military as a nurse. I'm looking at joining the Navy but I'm not sure what to expect. Can anyone help me out with some details?

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Mar 17, 2016

Largely, being a nurse in the military is pretty much the same in any branch. Many facilities have nurses for multiple services working right along side each other. My recommendation to you would be to contact healthcare recruiters from any branch that you have any interest in. They will explain the application process and current bonus/scholarship opportunities. U.S. Air Force - Find a recruiter or Locate a US Navy Recruiter : Navy.com

In general, military nursing is extremely similar to civilian nursing when you're not deployed. I was a civilian med-surg nurse for 2 years and I have now done 2 years as a military med-surg nurse. The key difference is that you tend to work slightly to moderately more hours (you're salaried after all) depending on your job, often on additional duties (writing performance reports for the people you supervise, teaching classes, updating unit policies and procedures, etc) that are only loosely related to patient care. I can't tell you much about deployments, because very few people (including myself) are deploying these days.

I would strongly recommend you obtain whatever education you see yourself ending at prior to joining. New grad nurses in the Air Force literally have 10-12 years of hoops to jump through before they can even start CRNA school on the military's dime. ANP is a little less involved, but you're still looking at 3-4 years of hoops there too.

ACS13 · Mar 28, 2016

JDorm40, did you get into your BSN program? I'm starting the process and I'm nervous I'll never get accepted to one the way some people make it sound! Lol! Would love to hear your story

if you get a chance. Also, did you ever get the info you needed about the Navy? I'm also looking into it... mostly the Nurse Candidate Program.