ADN for Army

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Specializes in Neurosciences.

I was just told by a recruiter that I need a BSN for active Army? I think that this guy is incorrect in the info that he provided to me.

Can someone please tell me what is correct?

That is a true statement. BSN required for active duty. You can have an ADN and be in the Army Reserve. There are threads about this on this site. Think about going reserve and continue to work on your BSN then transfer to active duty.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
I was just told by a recruiter that I need a BSN for active Army? I think that this guy is incorrect in the info that he provided to me.

Can someone please tell me what is correct?

I am new to the Army, (reported for duty in July) and everything I've heard over and over is that he is indeed correct.

Gen

Specializes in Critical Care , Geriatric, Psych.

KrazyKev:

That is indeed correct. I am an ADN nurse. I am currently processing with My Army AMEDD recruiter for Reserve as a Direct Commissioned Officer in the Nurse Corps.

I am then cont. to complete my BSN in the mean time, and plan to be active within the next year, 2 at the latest.

May I ask..Are you speaking with a regular Army recruiter? or an AMEDD recruiter?

Some Reg. Army recruiters are not as informed about the medical positions, especially with those of us who all ready have degrees, and are seeking direct commissioning. (I went through 3 Recruiters before finally being directed to my AMEDD office, where I then, finally received accurate answers ;) ) You should speak with an AMEDD recruiter, and they should have more answers for you, as many of them, also have had Medical experience, or a prev. Medical MOS / AOC.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
I was just told by a recruiter that I need a BSN for active Army? I think that this guy is incorrect in the info that he provided to me.

Can someone please tell me what is correct?

Hello,

Just a reminder to make sure that you are talking to a medical recruiter, (versus and enlisted recruiter who may inadvertantly tell you incorrect information regarding if you "come in as a medic..." based on what I've heard from others).

The Army Reserves will accept ADN degreed nurses. The Army will always encourage (and require if you want to advance) you to get higher degrees.

Good luck!

Gen

p.s. I'm very new to the Army and love it already

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I was just told by a recruiter that I need a BSN for active Army? I think that this guy is incorrect in the info that he provided to me.

Can someone please tell me what is correct?

*** Says very clearly on their web site that BSN is required for active duty army.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
*** Says very clearly on their web site that BSN is required for active duty army.

Hello,

And yet this is so baffling... I've never seen so very, very many LVNs in my life until I (recently) began working in an Army medical center.

Granted, the LVNs are enlisted rather than nurse corps officers but...still why ban ADN's so rigidly when LVN's are welcomed so strongly? What a dichotomy.

Good luck to the OP with your bridge to BSN program!

Gen

Specializes in Anesthesia.
Hello,

And yet this is so baffling... I've never seen so very, very many LVNs in my life until I (recently) began working in an Army medical center.

Granted, the LVNs are enlisted rather than nurse corps officers but...still why ban ADN's so rigidly when LVN's are welcomed so strongly? What a dichotomy.

Good luck to the OP with your bridge to BSN program!

Gen

It is not so much being against ADN, but if you let someone become a commissioned officer with their associate's degree then it becomes very unfair to all the other commisioned officers that had to have their bachelor's/master's degree etc to become a commissioned officer.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Hello,

And yet this is so baffling... I've never seen so very, very many LVNs in my life until I (recently) began working in an Army medical center.

Granted, the LVNs are enlisted rather than nurse corps officers but...still why ban ADN's so rigidly when LVN's are welcomed so strongly? What a dichotomy.

Good luck to the OP with your bridge to BSN program!

Gen

*** The army has their own LPN schools, several of them as well as actively recruiting civilian trained LPNs. A retired nurse corps officer once told me that the LPNs bring a stability to units. They tend to stay longer vs the RN who are lured out of the army or promoted out of bedside care.

As a former army LPN and current ICU RN I would favorably compare army trained and experienced LPNs to my RN co-workers. I think it is a shame that only West Virgina allows army LPNs to challenge the NCLEX-RN and think it's great that my state (Wisconsin) has recognized the superb training and experience of army LPNs and offers them/us a 9 month bridge program to ADN RN.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
It is not so much being against ADN, but if you let someone become a commissioned officer with their associate's degree then it becomes very unfair to all the other commisioned officers that had to have their bachelor's/master's degree etc to become a commissioned officer.

*** The navy used to have a program for ADN RNs. It made them warrant officers and commissions when they received their BSNs. Personally I would MUCH prefer to stay a warrant officer than accept a commission. The navy did away with the program. I don't know how it worked out for them.

I see the elimination of the warrant officer RN as a sign that the nursing shortage isn't acute as some believe.

As for the requirement that officers have bachelors degree. My grandfather retired from the army as a colonel. He dropped out of school when he was 16 to join the army and was given a battle field commission in WWII. My uncle was also given a battlefield commission in Viet Nam with only a high school education. He served 6 years and left the army as a captain of infantry.

I know times have changed.

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
It is not so much being against ADN, but if you let someone become a commissioned officer with their associate's degree then it becomes very unfair to all the other commisioned officers that had to have their bachelor's/master's degree etc to become a commissioned officer.

Hello,

I worded my ponderings badly.

More accurately it is the dichotomy between so readily accepting LVNs yet not ADNs, (LVNs are non-commissioned, why not take ADN as non commissioned as well?).

Gen

Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
*** The army has their own LPN schools, several of them as well as actively recruiting civilian trained LPNs. A retired nurse corps officer once told me that the LPNs bring a stability to units. They tend to stay longer vs the RN who are lured out of the army or promoted out of bedside care.

As a former army LPN and current ICU RN I would favorably compare army trained and experienced LPNs to my RN co-workers. I think it is a shame that only West Virgina allows army LPNs to challenge the NCLEX-RN and think it's great that my state (Wisconsin) has recognized the superb training and experience of army LPNs and offers them/us a 9 month bridge program to ADN RN.

Hi,

I'm an RN who has no intention of being 'lured' out to civilian healthcare, I'm an Army nurse for many reasons and the civilian sector cannot compare to any of them. Yes, Army LVNs are notorious for their excellence, yet, why exclude the ADN's while at the same time embracing LVNs? This is the dichotomy that doesn't make sense to me.

Gen-why not take both in the same role? Then again, I tend to think the entry to nursing should be a "professional" degree and post graduate too...eventually...and also think that nurses and doctors should share some of their education and that nurses should also bill the hospital as independant professionals and not as employees too.. yet at the same time I also think that current nurses, ADNs/BSNs/LVNs should be recognized and respected for their experience, training and abilities equally too.

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