AF or Army nurse? pros and cons for both please.

[Quiskeya]

I am contemplating joining a brach of the military as a nurse. I tend to lean towards the Army and I have already talked to a recruiter about it. I would like to lear more about the AF, I am not sure about the Navy. I have done a little research about the Navy as a nurse and to be honest it doesn't seem to fit me. I know that this is a very serious commitment and this is why I am trying to get as much info as I can. I don't want to take everything my recruiter says and run with it. I want to be very, very, very sure of what is it that I am trying to get into. Please any advice on the different militay braches for nursing will be grately appreciated.

[Jams95]

I've done the same contemplating you have. You can search this forum, as there is a TON of info from military nurses. Although, the Army does seem to be heavily represented here. Another thing you can do is talk to a recruiter from each branch, and ask for a tour of the base/hopsital of each branch. Then you can "see" what and how they do their jobs. And you can talk to the nurses and get firsthand info. That's the best way to make an informed decision.

I think it would help to look at the purpose of each branch. Army are ground forces, so training/deployment focus on field training/field work (ie M*A*S*H). Navy is sea support, so hospital ships/coastal bases. And Airforce is air support. Now, I have read posts on here that Army nurses deployed work and live along side Navy nurses. So, from what I gather, the intended purpose of your branch is flexible to the needs of the soldier/seaman/airman. I work at the VA and the "veteran" takes priority (and believe me its true and great to see).

Also consider, if you plan on a 20 year career, the promotability of each branch. Army promotes faster, then Navy, then AirForce (but the AF is working on that). You also didn't mention Active duty or Reserve status. You might want to consider travel time/distance to the unit you're considering - do you plan on relocating. If not, you might chose the branch that has a unit closet to you....... You didn't mention your educational background. All branches require a BSN for Active duty. For Reserve status Air Force and Navy require BSN. Reserve Army will accept an associates degree, but you will never promote past Captain (need a BSN after that). With all of the MSN and DNP(DSN) nurses entering you'll probably need a BSN to be competative. The on a lighter note, there is the uniform consideration and that's upto you :)))

Good luck to you..........

[FarawaySoClose, BSN, DNP, RN]

You can ask your recruiters from each branch if they can put you in contact with nurses in their branch to ask them questions and get a better idea about their experiences in the military. In applying to the Navy my recruiter put me in contact with 3 different nurse corps officers (2 for interviews, but they answered more questions then they asked ). They had a wealth of information to share and were critical in helping me make my decision to apply. Also like Jams95 said, search the forum; questions about which branch to chose have been asked and answered lots of times before. Good luck!