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I looked at the other threads and did not see one that addressed this issue. I am curious as to what rank I can expect to be commissioned into in the Navy. I will have an MSN in nursing leadership with 5 years experience coming in. I am board certified in my specialty. Looking around online it looks like a BSN grad with several years of experience would be O-2 but I didnt know if this was different for someone who had an MSN. Just curious. The recruiter I work with says I will not know for a while so I thought maybe someone on here would have an idea.

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If I remember correctly. You are given 1 year credit for every 2 years of experience and that caps out. For a graduate degree you are granted an additional year, but in nursing you max out at six years total. Nursing maxes out and I am not sure if any other speciality does.

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With you 2.5 years constructive credit for experience and 1 year for graduate degree you look like you have 3.5 years constructive credit. Now if you have no other constructive credit additions i.e. accepted certifications, then you will enter as an O-2 with either 36 or 42 months. If 42 months you would technically be able to go to an O-3 board, but would be doing so without an OER. To the best of my knowledge this is good info.

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keep in mind regardless of constructive credit you need one year active duty before being eligible to submit for a board.

so if you came in as a 1LT based on 40m constructive you'd still need 1 year active duty time before the next scheduled CPTS board (which has been conducted around april/may) in order to be eligible for that board.

Best of luck

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Ok so it sounds like I will probably enter as an O-2, but have the opportunity to advance to an O-3 after a year. I do have an accepted certification, but from what I am reading above I will still be unable to sit for the next board until I have 1 year active duty. Thanks for the information!

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Have you discussed this with a recruiter? If you are going Navy, O-3 is not a boarded promotion. It automatic with the proper amount of credited time.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiology.

The AF offered me an O3 capt spot for almost identical background (MSN, 5 years experiences and board cert.). Check with your recruiter, good luck.

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My personal opinion is going in as an O2 has some benefits.. it allows you to get acclimated to the military environment, job billets geared towards clinical positions etc. If you go in as an O3 your chain of command, subordinates etc will see an O3 and despite if you are experienced or new to military they will expect an O3 and that is who you are rated against. If you go in as an O2 with constructive credit you can get acclimated and in a relatively short period of time be promoted. My 2 Cents.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Just_cause raises some good points. I was a bit irked when I thought I was coming in as a 1LT, then ended up coming in as a 2LT. However, I realized that sliding into my first duty station as a butterbar had some bennies: no one expected me to know much of anything. Imagine their surprise when I was actually an experienced and competent ER nurse. :) I was promoted about four weeks after I arrived in my ER, but it was kind of nice to be expected to be a bit clueless at first. As I told our hospital commander during my meet-n-greet first week, I already knew how to be an ER nurse; as soon as I managed to merge it with military leadership and the Army way, I'd be good to go. :)

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Specializes in Antepartum, Intrapartum L&D, Postpartum.

That was a good question jrtaylor4. Lots of good feedback to consider & think about. Thanks for everyone's responses.

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