Active Duty Assignment

lifeafter40 · Jul 2, 2008

i have to say....and i don't mean this to be offensive. from my experience in the Army, every once in a while someone comes along who just gives you a feeling of "they are not one of us". meaning the vast majority of the soldiers in the unit feel uncomfortable with this person for whatever reason. a feeling of "when the **** hits the fan, i don't want to be in a foxhole with this person". these people often feel the way you described because it is exactly how they are percieved. i found that most often the label on these soldiers is 100% correct and proves to be true. if you are the type of person people like to be around, if you work hard, and do not have your head up your ass you will be welcomed with open arms into the military family. if not......than you will probally end up feeling as this person did. not to say these things apply to her, but her explanation could be matched to so many negative soldiers i have seen throughout the years who were made to feel unwelcome.....and with good reason, becasue they were

I would certainly not want to make judgments about someone I know nothing about but, being prior service myself, I agree with you in a general sense.

The Army is a "Team Sport." For anyone considering The Military as a career, then expect to be part of the team! As with most situations in life, The Army is what you put into it. A key component to success in the military is "selfless service". In a nut shell, try to remember the team in all your actions. The Army has a mission that has little to do with the individual soldier. The Army will take good care of its own, but if one is focused only on "whats in it for me", then they will definitely come away disappointed with their experience. On the other hand, if you focus on your commitment to improve yourself as well as the team, your efforts will be recognized, and you will have a rewarding (if not always pleasant) experience.

just my $0.02

S

jbrecon2 · Jul 2, 2008

well spoken. my perspective comes from that of a Scout with two years deployed on the DMZ in Korea and the middle east for enduring freedom. in a tight knit combat unit, all efforts are made to get everyone right, and for the most part they are. but just as in civilian life, there are people whom you do not want among you. mainly those you feel you cannot trust, or just have that odd "thing" about them. the ones that screw up on a daily basis, are unmotivated and do not make the effort to "be all that they can be" if you will. i did not mean to sound judgmental, however the negativity reflected in that post painted a picture of someone that perhaps just didn't belong there. in fact she realized that much on her own. i applaud her service, especially so soon after such a personal tragedy, and while having a tumor which very well may have been the reason her performance was not up to their standards. sometimes.......the military weeds out good ones too.

MSNin2008 · Jul 31, 2008

Help... I have my MSN --11 years RN experience with ADN in 1997, BSN in 2003 and MSN in 2008. What should my rank be?! Thanks for any assistance.

teiladay · Jul 31, 2008

Help... I have my MSN --11 years RN experience with ADN in 1997, BSN in 2003 and MSN in 2008. What should my rank be?! Thanks for any assistance.

At first glace, I'd give a good educated guess the pay grade of O-3 (captain in most branches of military).

Okay, lets break it down to be more sure...

EDUCATION:

MSN = 2 years constructive credit (there are circumstances where it could be less e.g. if you were in an accelerated MSN program and only took 10 mos to graduate, then the government COULD only give you credit for the actual time it took you for degree completion but that's not a likely reality) So basically you'd be looking at 2 years credit for the advance degree! :)

EXPERIENCE:

I'd count how many years experience you have AFTER earning the BSN to be on the safe side. You earned your BSN in 2003. So you've had post BSN experience of about 4+ years. Divide that by two (2) and you get 2 years experience credit.

That's a total of 4 years credit.

So you'd MOST LIKELY be looking at the pay grade of O-3. Just keep in mind that you'd be expected to perform on par with an O-3 that has been in the military for as many years. Something to keep in mind.

Basically you've maxed out the "constructive credit" before moving into the next constructive credit category which is typically where dentists & physicians usually find themselves (pay grade O3 thru O5). GOOD JOB! :bow:

ALWAYS check a reference though. I always tell people that if you don't see it in writing.. then it isn't so. Basically if you go by what you see in print, and what you see in a contract, no one can screw with you, and you'll never have to say "well I thought.." or "well I was told..." Instead you'll say "But the regulation says..." or something like "DOD instruction states the following..." see the difference

Knowledge will almost always give you the upper hand when dealing with the government/military. Ok, enough of that. My point is just be sure to reference the actual regulation(s) governing constructive credit. I've posted a reference in a previous post regarding this very topic.

Kind regards

Teila K. Day