FNP and military wife - Page 2

Zenman, are you a Mil spouse? Life as a spouse is a whole different ballgame. We are not afforded the respect or legal protection Vets are. Mosarn1, I highly recommend that you sidestep any mention of military affiliation if you get an interview. It took me 8 months to get a job and I had multiple interviews. I am an excellent candidate, have an amazing CV and experience. Every employer and recruiter was extremely impressed. I had fantastic interviews, many times was asked to stay on the spot for a second and sometimes 3rd interview. ANY time military affiliation came up I did not hear back. I do not think it was a coincidence. I am not sure I would recommend locum for a new grad. You need support and time to adjust to a new role. It may work for some but for me I held out until I received an offer from a group who was willing to invest that time and support in me. I wanted to be sure I was not rushed, that I had time to get some experience and be safe. I would choose your first position with care. Credentialing is a pain they don’t tell you about in school, it can be a delay of months depending on where you practice and you would hate to choose a job you cant stand/do and have to repeat the process.
Be prepared for this to take some time, job hunting as a NP is completely different then nursing. Good luck!

I really think this is relative. I'm a military spouse; 17 years following my husband around in the Army and have never had a problem with jobs when I wanted one. I think in larger military installations people are more familiar with the families that come and go and some States are more military friendly than others like Texas for example is very military friendly State.

jillarnp,

Thank you for your feedback. Credentialing seems very complicated... and you are right, schools fail to mention this very important step!

It is sad that more employers are not supportive of the military members and their spouses!!

Do you know if it is difficult to have your APRN endorsed in different states?

No, ex military but did do some NP clinical on Marine base in Okinawa. Why did military affiliation come up in your interviews? That's no one's business

The VA pays well and has a great PCMH program. We are a mil family and my wife and I are licensed n multiple states. Just start getting your licensure done as soon as you find out where your next assigment will be. Many AD folks like to be stationed in Europe. We decided that we can vacation anywhere if we stay in the states and make top dollar from having two profesional incomes. You could work as a contractor in each clinic on base where he gets assigned, but that is never garunteed work.

Zenman,

Unfortunely, it does come up. Especially in areas where there aren't that many NP's and someone new comes in. I'm in South Dakota and a FNP. And while I know it is illegal, I have been asked in EVERY interview if I'm a military spouse. I've even just simply stated that we just relocated to the area when asked and they still dig it out of you. And I agree, I so wish I could say it's none of your damn business but they still ask it and with a VERY limited job market I just smile and go on. I would be up to relocating away from my spouse, however, we have children and so I'm getting ready to start a RN job just to keep up with the profession and hope to network this way. It's especially frustrating because we were in NW FL and it seemed like the hospitals there viewed being a military spouse as an asset. Here, it's apparently a fault. :/

Turn their butts in so they will learn something!