Active duty navy fy 2016

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Hey guys/gals I'm just wondering if their is anyone applying for this upcoming fy 2016 for direct commission into the navy. I guess I should have mentioned that I was referring to the nurse corps.

Specializes in Critical Care.

So if you really want to work in the ICU and not get sent to the floor at your first duty station, make sure your recruiter gets you creditentialed as a 1960. The recruiter should know who to contact at BUMED to get the ball rolling. 1960 is the SSC for critical care. Working in the ICU for less than a year and taking a Navy approved course, usually ECCO, will qualify you as a 1960E (this says you have less than one year critical care experience), S is 1-3 years experience, R is greater than 3 years and K being CCRN.

If you are coming in as a 1910, med-surg, there's a good possibility that you won't go straight to the unit unless you can provide your leadership "evidence" that you have worked in the unit and competent in working. Depending on where you pick orders, there are going to be tons of ENS and JGs that have been fighting for a spot in the unit, so it might take longer than expected.

If you can take and pass your CCRN before going to ODS, I would recommend it. It's only going to make you more marketable when you arrive at your duty station and leadership is deciding on the best fit for the hospital and you.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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Vinstafa, thanks for your words of wisdom. My recruiter told me I was credentialed as med-surg because I was yet to get my CCRN. So are you saying if she pushes for it at BUMED, I can be re-credentialed as critical care?

Also, I am currently in grad school (about to start 2nd semester) for Acute Care NP (which is a big thing now in civilian hospitals) but my research on the Navy and speaking with a Navy CRNA shows that the Navy doesn't utilize ACNPs like they do FNPs. So my Navy CRNA guy says ACNPs would probably end up as the equivalent of charge nurses in the civilian world. So now I'm trying to figure out what to do. With the DUINS program as it is (I hear not many spots open, especially for CRNA at USUHS), I'm trying to decide whether to gamble and withdraw from the program in the hopes of maybe going to CRNA school through the Navy. But I'm also worried I may not get in and would end up spending my first tour without getting a grad degree. I'm new at this military stuff and any input would be appreciated.

At my current job, my employer offers tuition reimbursement up to $5250 annually with no strings attached. And I just got awarded a scholarship this Fall semester for $2050. So I'm kind of weighing my options to make sure I'm making the best decision for my family, my career vis-a-vis dropping out of grad school to join the Navy in hopes that the Navy will pay for grad school.

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Vinstafa, as a follow-up to my earlier post, the ECCO is typically offered through the AACN to a hospital as opposed to something an individual can sign for (from the AACN website). So do you mean I should do the ECCO once I'm in the Navy? As for getting my CCRN, I have only worked in the ICU a little over a year so I do not have the requisite number of hours.

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HM3RNBSN, congrats on being done with ODS. I'll be interested to know what your experience has been like now that you're an actual Navy nurse working in a Navy hospital. How different is it from a civilian hospital? In civilian nursing, you either work days or you work nights (as your standard regular shift). I read somewhere on this thread that with military nursing, you alternate between nights and days. Has that been your experience thus far?

Thanks for your time.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I am currently finishing my residency program which all nurses go through even if you have prior nursing experience as we are new to navy nursing. I am at Portsmouth and they do rotatable between nightdifferent and days. Depending on where you work will dictate how often you rotate. ICU is q12 weeks. I am still trying to wrap my head around not scanning meds. This is weird for me. Titration of drips is different than what I'm familiar with but nothing too bad that you can't adjust to. The hospital I came from had only nurses in ICU so having corpsman is taking some time to get used to.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

charlieg, you do not have to have your CCRN to be credentialed as a critical care nurse. Unless something changed within the last 12 months, but it hasn't. You may need to produce paperwork showing you have experience. Talk to your recruiter and if she doesn't know who to contact, PM me and I'll give you the information for who to contact.

The Navy will pay for ECCO. I know they make the new RNs from the floor take it within the first year of being on the unit. Depending on the number of hours you have spend in the unit, you can take the CCRN, there isn't a 2 year wait any longer.

There are talks about the Navy utilizing ACNP, but as of now they don't (there might be a few here or there, but it's not the norm).Last year there wasn't many applicants for CRNA, but this year there was almost double letters of intent than openings. It differs year to year. Also, TA covers $250 per credit, so that's an option.

Civilian nursing is much, much different. I worked like 6.5 years civilian before joining. HM3, it sucks Portsmouth made you do their residency, luckily I skipped that.

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Vinstafa, I received a call from my detailer today and she told me I was a 1960 (critical care,which isn't what my recruiter told me). She told me the next ODS class that I can go to is the one that begins in three weeks and after that, I'll have to wait until next April. Available options are Portsmouth, Fort Belvoir, Walter Reed, and Camp Lejeune. Sept. 11th is too close to make any proper planning with my family and I'm leaning towards next April (She put me on the waitlist for October and next February if someone drops out).

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Thanks for the update HM3. I spoke with my detailer today and she told me the only options with an open billet for critical care are Portsmouth, Camp Lejeune, Fort Belvoir, and Walter Reed. She told me Portsmouth had the biggest ICU of all of them and that my chances of staying in the ICU would be greater in Portsmouth.

In your own experience, what has it been like living in Portsmouth? I have 3 kids ranging in age from 7years to an 8-month old infant so I'm trying to make sure they are ok.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

We are buying a house in chesapeake to get out of Portsmouth. We are doing online public school as well because the schools here are not that good. The ICU here is the biggest bur it is split with ICU and step-down patients from what I understand. I finally get there next week!!!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

If you wait until April, your options might change. Everyone of those places has its own benefit, depending on what you want for your career and your family.

If you want to be close to big cities, WRNMMC or Belvoir. If you want your best chance to deploy, NMCP or CP. If you want "sicker" patients, WRNMMC or Portsmouth. Cost of living is high for WRNMMC and Belvoir. If you want to learn the Navy, then NMCP or CP, WRNMMC and Belvoir are joint

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I meant Camp Lejeune, not Camp Pendleton

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Thanks for the info HM3. Sometimes one can never be sure what to believe when speaking with recruiters etc. My detailer wants me to decide on a location so she can put it in the system even if I'm waiting till next April.

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