Question regarding ASN and Army Reserve and Active duty

jeckrn, BSN, RN · May 20, 2009

I just finished my RN to BSN and it was know where near that price. What the Army does offer at the present time is student loan repayment. Can not remember the exact amount but if it does not cover the 57K should be close. Have you looked at a state school in your area. I live in NY where the state schools are expensive for state schools, but no where near what you are paying.

Dino · May 21, 2009

Well, the figure I am giving is total cost, including transportation, books, fees, misc... the total cost of going to school is just not the tuition. But yes, most 2nd degree nursing programs in my area are expensive. Only one state school in my area has a 2nd degree BSN and although cheaper it is still pretty expensive. The thing is I know about the loan repayment program, but after serving my first 3 years etc.. I want to get my masters, and if I go back to school while in military, it's an either or situation I believe, either they will pay for school under duty under instruction, or loan forgiveness. So for me I would still be carrying those loans from the BSN program if I went back to school after x amount of time while in military. Everyone has told me just get my RN for as cheap as possible, esp. since I am looking for masters. Unfortunately, the military tends to be rigid in certain things that really don't make sense, such as not accepting a bachelors in biology and an associate degree in nursing. Clinically, there is no difference between an RN and BSN, and is only seperated by a few more business, research related classes. I can go to a nurse anesthesia program locally without getting my BSN as long as I have a bachelors in another field, yet I can't go into military as a floor nurse without the BSN. Go figure. So, for me it looks like if military is going to be in my future I have to take the long route, which is going to run bring me very close to age limit. So, that is why I asked about how to enter Army reserves and when. Any info?

Oliverbranch · May 21, 2009

Dino, do not worry about the age limit! Should you be over the age limit the military, particularly the army, is waiving the age limit. Talk to a health recruiter. Not a regular strip mall military recruiter. :specs:

jeckrn, BSN, RN · May 21, 2009

What you can do is have the Army pay your student loans for your BSN and then go to school for your masters using LHET. What this is the Army sends you to school for you masters and pays you your full salary. I do not know if they pay the tution for the masters, I believe they do.

olderthandirt2 · May 22, 2009

Dino, do not worry about the age limit! Should you be over the age limit the military, particularly the army, is waiving the age limit. Talk to a health recruiter. Not a regular strip mall military recruiter.

If you are pursuing an ACTIVE duty accession, YES you do have to worry about age limit. As I understand, the Army has stopped waivering age for RNs. If you can not do 20 years by age 62, you can not access. (unless you have prior service which gives you years credit).

For Reserves,......no worries. They are definitey accepting age waivers.

Dino, if you want to pursue active duty Army.....get your BSN now. Did you say you were thinking of nursing anesthesia? If you are interested in graduate school, don't even bother with an ASN......I would do an accelerated BSN (utilizing your previous bachelors)......then get into a critical care unit as fast as possible. (you will need ICU experience....at least one year or more).

Look into the Army CRNA program.....if you are interested in Nursing Anesthesia (they pay you to go to school and NO TUITION---plus, the best experience you can get).

Your civilian school CRNA program will end up costing $130-180,000 (tuition and living expenses for 2.5yrs). Ouch....

good luck,

c.

Dino · May 22, 2009

2nd degree BSN programs around here just cost too much to go, and since the program is accelerated that coupled together the NCP would still leave me at least 30k in the whole, which is ridiculous. I still have time to get ASN and online classes while working and get BSN in time to go active duty. Question I have is does one haveto go to basic before they start the ADN program or after they finish? I know they srill once per month, so to me that seems like I would have to go to basic before school, which will run into a problem as I have already started school, and there really are no significant breaks till I finish. So, I am not sure if Army nurse reserves will work. My recruiter is looking into specifics.

As for CRNA I am not sure that is what I want to do yet, maybe nurse practitioner, but I can attend a local program if I get in when the time is right for only 50,000-60,000. I live right there, so no moving, no extra expenses, just tuition, and that is roughly what I was quoted as cost for attending the school, total not per year. Still I hate loans, they are the worst, esp. as you get older.

olderthandirt2 · May 22, 2009

With an ASN:

If you are an Officer and a reservist, you have 3 yrs to attend OBLC, they don't have it every month now....but you can wait until after you finish school (the ASN to BSN part). You can not access as an officer without at least an ASN. You can use Strap for the BSN part (as a reservist).

As enlisted.....I don't know about that (NCP), but plenty of people on this forum may have info for you.

Regarding CRNA and NP programs.......I know of many NPs who could work and attend school at the same time. In fact my MSN was earned while I worked full time.

That is not an option with CRNA programs (toooo intense, occasionally you will hear of a person working a shift while in school---but not enough to support themselves)

---so your living expenses are the "big loans". If you are interested in Anesthesia, check out the Nursing Anesthesia forum (google it)

good luck,

c.

Dino · May 22, 2009

Not clear yet on if I can join Army now while getting my ASN, or do I have to wait till after I get my ASN? If it is before or while earning my ASN, how am I classified, and what do I do and when?

olderthandirt2 · May 23, 2009

You can join the Army either way, enlist (pursuing your ASN) or (recommended) join after you have an ASN as an "Officer" in the reserves (need a BSN for active duty). Then you can pursue your ASN to BSN using "the Strap program" (reserves)......Or get a signon bonus and loan repayment to help with your student loans, if you decided to skip the "strap program".

Maybe some prior enlisted can help you with the Lpn to Asn aspect....

Talk to your healthcare recruiter today.

good luck,

c.