Start to Finish... Military Nursing?

Specialties Government

Published

Hey everyone! Military nursing never crossed my mind, I never even thought of it, at all. I loved missionary nursing but something did not click (okay I know this sounds cliche but I never got "the feeling" that it was right". Now I am a total planner and so of course I found a specialty that seemed right. I want/wanted to be a neonatal nurse practitioner. Get my DNP and work full time in a hospital till I had a family then quit and homeschool my kids and work part time if need be. This is one of those dream when I had the house with the white picket fence. :wink2:

So my cousin joined the airforce (not for nursing). I researched all different branches of military. My grandpa was in the navy, and a friend in high school joined the army. This got me curious but I still did not look much into the nursing aspect of the military. Well this economy started spiriling down and you know that story :zzzzz. I figured I better explore my options, you never know. Thats when it hit me(after tons of research). I got "the feeling" and everything! :D I want to be a military nurse. :nurse:

My education: I just started pre-reqs. I am a dual enrolment student so its free books and tuition for my AA degree (not RN its just pre-reqs and liberal arts classes). At my college there are hundreds of students taking their pre-reqs for nursing. The military will stabilize my career and give me the opportunity to serve my county.

Most people are very surprised when I say I am looking into military nursing. When I was younger I was a total "girly girl". I remember years went by when I only wore dresses and skirts. I remember it was middle school years, about 6th grade when people realized I was stronger than I looked. I beat all the boys at arm wrestleing :yeah: and starting helping my dad out in his kitchen instalation business. Now me and sports are a total NO. I never ever EVER was good at any sport except cometition cheerleading for a year or two. (I was the strongest base on a varsity team as a freshman :D). With a little more conditioning I can pass the physical fitness test for any branch, so that will not be a problem.

SO what branch? Well I have done my research and here is what I found. Army sounds hard. Okay thats putting it lightly. It sounds really hard. I am up for it all, but I do not want to push myself farther than I can stretch. The airforce sounds easiest. They look to have the nicest living facilities and benifits. That leaves me with the navy. My parents would be msot accepting for me to go into the navy because of my grandfather. Although they let me make my own decisions, I do have respect for them and take their opinon to heart. The navy looks exactly what I am look for, but I still need to do more research (any info would be appreciated!).

I do not know what path I am going to continue on. I am going to finish these two years of pre-reqs/liberals and then I am not sure. ROTC or get my bsn then go into the military. I have enough $ to get my BSN (with scholarships and such). I am not sure how ROTC will work with me being a transfer student.

So these decissions take allot of thinking and researching. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I could change my mind still, but I highly doubt it. I am going to talk to recruiters soon to get more info. Sometimes its easier to speak on a forum like this first. I always learn something new! Thanks, and God Bless!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Don't seek out what branch is the easiest or most likely to garner parental support/approval, look for that branch which fits your career goals.

Neither of the three branches servicing healthcare for the military are fitting careers for most nurses.

Military nursing is not a job or a career, in fact it is a lifestyle full of immense responsibility both on and off the "clock."

Good luck with your decision for only you can ultimately make it.:wink2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I sort of agree with DIC - you're a soldier, sailor, or airman first and THEN an RN (or at least as far as I'm concerned).

I'm going back in the Air Force because (1) I miss that lifestyle (I'm a Navy brat and prior enlisted Air Force) and (2) I always, for whatever reason, wanted to be an officer in the military. And at the end of the day, as far as the Air Force is concerned, yes, I'll be an RN, and yes, I'll be a lieutenant, but the fact of the matter is I'm an airman first and expect to be treated as such (in other words, I'll deploy and be moved at the whim of the Air Force just like everyone else will).

Don't get me wrong, I have other motives as well that are more self-serving than patriotic: I want Tricare at retirement, and I want the educational bennies, and I'm pleased with what my pay will be (very, actually).

And I'll also admit that when I enlisted, I picked the Air Force because I personally know I'm not Army material (and my brother who spent 20+ years with the 101st Airborne division told me not to go Army, while my Navy father and other Navy brother - with almost sixty years service between them - told me to go Navy if I thought I was going to stay in or Air Force if I didn't think I would). I think the Air Force and the Navy both have better facilities and treat their people better than the Army, but that's just my opinion as I've personally seen the Army beginning to change as retention becomes more of an issue for them.

No, the Air Force and the Navy aren't as 'physical' as the Army, but that doesn't make them easier: I have no desire to spend a year on a cruise on an aircraft carrier in the Navy any more than I'm looking forward to potential back-to-back deployments in the Air Force (it does happen!) - but what I am looking forward to is when I'm stuck in the sandbox for eight months I'm there with a thousand other people as PO'd as I am (from two tours in Desert Storm/Southern Watch I remember how misery loved company!) and I'm there doing something that matters, carrying on a tradition, and following in the ranks of the women before me who made it possible for me to be there. (God bless you, Jackie Cochran.)

So while I don't blame you for saying the Army's 'hard' :), keep in mind that all of the branches have their own brand of hard.

That said, give crossing into the blue a second look...(no bias or anything)...

All of the branches have their benefits and drawbacks - and as DICHarwould said, it's your decision. And it is a career decision of sorts - if you go in, and you decide to stay in, is the branch you choose going to match/be able to help you meet the type of military career you seek to build? Do your homework carefully; call some base hospitals and ask to speak to active duty folks; call a reserve detachment and talk to people who have been activated and subsequently deployed to a forward location. Don't believe everything the health care recruiters tell you - get the facts for yourself.

And once you make your decision, be proactive about it - YOU stay on the recruiter and YOU learn what steps happen when. Come here and ask us if you need help; recruiters are notoriously non-proactive - some of which is their fault and some of which is not; like the rest of the federal government, most of them are being forced to do more with less.

But the military is a wonderful way to live (as far as I'm concerned, anyway) - you just need to ensure it's the way YOU want to live.

Keep us posted as you think this through and feel free to post with your questions. There's a wealth of information and experience here.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you both for your reply. I totally agree its a life style, not just a job/career. I am ready for hard work. It gives me allot to think about and homework to do. I plan to talk to as many people I can to gain expierienced stories. Then I want to make a perliminary scheduale of what my first few years in each branch would be like (yes I KNOW this is going to change) I want to know what ranks I can achieve, how long training, health care, pay etc... This I plan to accumalate from my variety of sources. I am ignorant to allot of the aspects of military life. The only way to cure this is homework! So thank you for the reply. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment