Active Duty Military Trying to Plan

[briski3]

Hello All!

I'll start with a little background. I graduated High School in 2011 and immediately entered Active Duty Military and have been serving honorably since as a welder. My passion has always been medical and I've always wanted to be a nurse, and continue to wish to pursue nursing. My contract with the Navy ends in 2019 at which time my full intention is to separate and utilize my 9/11GI Bill that I have earned through honorable service to finally pursue my dream.

What I am doing now is trying to fulfill as many pre reqs following the College I intend to apply's curriculum. I have two colleges in mind and have studied both of their curriculum's and am attending college part time at a local community college where I am stationed.

I'm looking to speak with and ask anyone who might have some advice, suggestions, or experience with my current situation.

Some main questions I have now:

When should I take the TEAS exam if I intend to apply to a nursing program that starts Fall 2019?

Should I make sure I have the required immunizations clinical rotations require prior to my military separation?

Should I get the advanced CPR certification before I separate from the military?

I have experience with volunteering in Hospice and I intend to volunteer at the Naval Hospital as well, what other things can I do to stand out and make myself competitive for entry into a nursing program?

Thank you!

[gere7404, BSN, RN]

See if the credits you are taking at your community college will transfer to the nursing schools you are interested in.

Check to see if your military immunizations meet the needs of the school (I only had to get a flu shot for my program since the Army went above and beyond what my school required vaccinating me).

CPR expires, but it doesn't hurt to get whatever free training you can out of the military. I know people say never volunteer for anything, but I always raised my hand when they asked for volunteers to go to a school. Volunteering hours looks good, see if you can also volunteer at a local VA. Being a veteran who takes care of other veterans seems to look very good to admissions boards. If you aren't an NCO (or whatever the Navy equivalent is) yet try your hardest to get E-5 before separating. Having experience in a leadership role like that looks really good to any interviewer (for nursing school or otherwise).

The best thing you can do to stand out is to keep a good GPA. Seriously -- most programs look first and foremost at your GPA so keep it as high as possible as you knock out your prerequisites.

Also, if you've got tuition assistance from the Navy, make the most out of it now. By 2019 you should be able to get all of your prereqs knocked out so you can apply before separation and transition right into a program. Since the Post/911 GI Bill only covers up to three years of school you want to use as little as possible on your prereqs so you can save it on more expensive nursing courses. Also, if you anticipate a service connected rating from the VA for injuries, you may qualify for Chapter 31 vocational rehabilitation and employment, which can potentially pay for the cost of all of your education to meet your vocational goal.

[Nurse2BeCam, ADN]

I would say definitely keep taking pre-req classes while you can still use TA. I wish I had utilized that benefit more before I separated from active duty. I would take the A&P courses before attempting to take the teas, so you'll be fresh on that information. The teas is packed with a&p info. I wouldn't take the test until 2019 in case it expires. Keep in mind that some BSN programs want you to apply a year before the program start date, so make sure to do your research early and plan ahead.

You may be able to hop into a cheap CPR course if you take it while still active, but those certs expire as well.

I wouldn't worry too much about the immunizations. Those are easy to obtain as a civi in my opinion.

Good luck.

[Buyer beware, BSN]

OP,

You're in a great situation having your medical and tuition covered as benefits for a job well done.

The shots and the small stuff I wouldn't worry about. What you should be on your toes about is that as you know your post 911GI bill tuition benefits make you quite the sought after person by the bad actor players in higher education that see you as money in the bank.

Many of these schools are the for-profits and their relentless trolling of military personal is legendary. Unfortunately, so are their low graduation and retention rates.

So keep those GI benefits close to your heart and don't let the wolves near them.