Active Duty or Reserves? How do I advance?

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2010

I'm Air Force and prior service, so I know nothing about the Army, but here's what your pay will be (and remember, if you're active duty health insurance is completely free for you and your dependents):

2nd Lieutenant (Lt) pay: $2745 (subject to state/fed taxes)

Housing allowance: varies based on your duty station, but $900 a month is a good average (NOT TAXED)

Food - BAS - allowance: $223 a month

You'll make just over $4K/month, and have no health insurance or vision bills. Dental has to be paid for for dependents (you buy a policy for I think $20/month through Humana), but the active duty member's is covered. And since allowances are not taxed, the housing and BAS are actually worth about thirty percent more than their face value.

To me, the freebie health care is a HUGE bonus for going active duty. You're covered 24/7 regardless of where you are, anywhere in the world, regardless of what happens (in other words, it doesn't have to be duty related for you to be covered).

Promotions are regular and guaranteed through O3 (captain). I believe the Army promotes like the Air Force: you're an O1 (2nd Lt) for two years, then an O2 (1st Lt) for two years, and then a Captain until you're eligible for selection for major. Majors have to meet a board and selection is competitive, but I know the selection rate for the AF is quite high (you really have to be a screwup to not hit O4, though you might wait a while). All other ranks beyond O3 are competitive and based on time in grade, time in service, and other factors like performance evaluations.

There are a bunch of current Army folks on here who'll be more than happy to answer your other questions; I just hated to see you not have some sort of reply!

PEK93RT · Feb 18, 2010

thank you for your reply, I did some of my own investigations and found some of the answers to my questions.

http://militarypay.defense.gov/index.html

Great website to calculate pay, and retirement pay.

http://www.hooah4health.com/

Great website to calculate how well i need to perform on fitness test.

http://www.usuhs.mil/

Great website on finding out more of the military's anesthesia school

https://allnurses.com/government-military-nursing/my-oblc-experiences-218565.html

A great thread on what to expect from Officer Basic Leadership Course

Again thanks for all your help.

athena55, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2010

hello and welcome to all nurses. i guess i can add my :twocents: i am ad army. my question to you would be, why aren't you thinking about going direct active instead of rc? i was in the reserves and went ad but i regret not going directly active duty from the get-go:

i'm a new grad (25m)currently working in a suburban hospital. i am going to join the reserves at least when october comes rolling around. my goal is to become a crna preferably or an np. my question is if i go active duty will it be easier and quicker to become a crna then if i was in the reserves? if i stay in the reserves it will be at least 2 years of med/surg experience needed before i can try to interview for a icu position, then another 2 years before i can apply for crna school.
i am currently married, have a child on the way, own a house (which i dont mind renting out, i don't want to sell it), have a 3.3 gpa. if you are really thinking about becoming a crna get your gpa up as high as you can now.
my wife would like it if i went active duty if i could be stationed in hawaii, or texas.
some questions are...
how hard and long does it take to go from a army med/surge nurse to icu nurse.
if you stay rc get as much experience as possible in a critical care unit. then you would have the option to get the 8a asi before going ad, or wait til you are ad then go to the 8a course (wramc, bamc, mamc) ad you really won't get into an icu without experience of at least 1-2 years on a med/surg unit
how long are the hours, how many hrs/week. i am a family man and would like to not be far from family.
if you are working in a clinic it would be clinic hours m-f 08-16:00 federal holidays off.
if you are working on a floor or specialty unit usually 12 hour shifts, almost always every other weekend off, you work 3-4 in a row (or your schedule can be broken up, depends on who does the schedule and your requests)
what extra benefits come from going active duty?
as others have posted on this forum you and your family will be entitled free health/dental care anywhere in the world. you will be entitled to 2.5 leave days for every month that you work and regs have changed so you can carry a balance of i think it is up to 75 banked leave days without losing them. you and your family will be entitled to free prescribed medications as well. you will be stationed with some nice people and have a lot of, we hope, positive experiences at your different duty stations. you will pcs (usually) every 2-3 years, but some people see that as a negative. plus the added benefit of serving your country and wearing a uniform from one of the armed services
what are my chances of getting stationed in hawaii or texas?
well, as good as anyone's else's i would guess. depends how heavy they are with 66h's.
what is this critical care nursing course (14 weeks) i saw on the website?
offered at bamc, wramc, and mamc. it used to be 6 months long but was condensed into 14 weeks of pure hell (sorry) very intense. you think you know something than wham! you find out you really, really didn't, not at the cellular level anyhow. i am a much better critical care nurse now. i used to do some things by rote, muscle memory, not really really understanding about, say for example the basement membrane and why it is so important in dealing with, say, renal disease, that sort of thing. you'll learn to really hate care plans (again, ha ha)
you do one major system a week than have a final on it. you will also be expected to teach a ceu course hospital-wide, defend your one system and three system failure patient, do a research lit review, do copious amounts of reading nightly, and do organized pt at least 3 times/week. now, how do you spell s-t-r-e-s-s? but you also will be paid during the time you are tdy-return or tdy-pcs.
how quickly do i get promoted, and how does the pay compare to civilian? i currently make 25.03/hr +2/hr off shift, +3 weekends.
you can google or go to ask.com for federal payscales or go to armytimes.com and you can find 2010 payscales for the different grades e/o etc. as far as how quickly for promotion, speaking for the army, usually have tig of1- 2 years to go from 01, 2 years tig to go to 02, another 2-3 years tig to go 03, then you go before the board for promotion of maj 04 and that is usually 4- 6 years tig unless you have stellar oers (officer evaluation record). i really don't know how much i make all i know is that i get paid on the 1st and 15th of every month! if you are ad though, you won't get paid extra for working nights, weekends. you will be expected to work your 40 hour work week and that does not include any time you spend above and beyond. the civilians get paid ot, you don't
what are the chances of being deployed and for how long? (i have heard 180 days boots on the ground?)\
yes if you are considered profis (professional fill in system) your orders will read 371 days or until the mission is completed but usually it is only 180 bog. if you are assigned to a company such as a csh, then you will be deployed for the full 365 + days bog. it is not a matter of if but when you will be deployed. right now i think dwell time is 2 years, but that could and does change. remember, we (as army nurses) went from 15 months deployment, to 12 months deployment to 6 months deployment. stuff happens and things change as the tempo changes
good luck to you!
athena
iraq

PEK93RT · Feb 22, 2010

Athena, thank you for the great reply, didnt think I would get one as in depth as that. Definetly worth more then 2cents. What do you mean direct active and RC? I'm leaning toward going directly into active duty right now.

What do you mean, "if you are really thinking about becoming a CRNA get your GPA up as high as you can NOW?" I am done with school, 3.3 was my graduating GPA. My prereqs and other classes dragged it down, but my nursing GPA is like 3.6, 3.7.

Can i choose if I want to work in a clinic or not? I would prefer to work in the hospital. Also does the clinic count toward "med/surg" experience? By the time I enlist I should have close to a year of med/surg experience in a civilian setting. Is it easy to get into the Critical care course, once i have met the pre req? I really want to get into the ICU as soon as possible, as i enjoy trauma, or would possible like to join the foward surgical team.

As for teaching in the critical care course, I wouldnt mind it. I believe that is the best way to learn, is when you have to teach it to someone else. Hate care plans though:yawn:

What does TIG mean?

For me as a soldier/nurse. I want to advance my career in nursing as far as I can, while serving my country at the same time.

Again, thank you for your 2 cents=)

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2010

TIG - Time in Grade. That's what I was listing - you have to spend X years in Y grade to make the next rank.

Grade and rank are sort of the same thing - "grade" is your pay grade: O1, O2, O3, O4, etc. "Rank" goes with your grade, and is your service's title for that particular grade. For example, in the Army, Air Force, and the Marines, an O1 is a Second Lieutenant. In the Navy, an O1 is an Ensign. Everyone in the military with the same time in service makes the same base pay: an O1 in the Navy with no years prior service makes the EXACT same base pay as an O1 in any of the other branches of the service.