Air Force/Navy Nursing

MBRN74 · Apr 5, 2012

Hi PolarBear,

I will try to answer some of your questions. I commend you for seeking information. I would say the best thing to do is talk to a recruiter. A lot of nurses are trying to enter into the military these days. One thing you want to decide on is what mission do you want to follow? The Navy is sea-baring, however alot of nurses do not necessarily have to serve on ships as corpsmen usually do this. If you were to get commissioned into the Navy you go to officer school in newport, rhode island. You learn how to be an officer and you have physical training to complete. The difference with the navy is that you have to jump off of a plank into a pool and swim to get out. You will then have to tread water for a couple minutes (i think) and another piece is you will have to jump in take your pants off, blow in them to make a flotation device. that's the difference with the navy vs. other branches.

I believe with the AF you do have an obstacle course to go through but it's not really a pass or fail thing. It's more about teamwork. In the AF most times you are scheduled to be at a duty station for four years, not written in stone as that could change based on eligibility for any training or schools or their needs. After being at your first duty station for 2 years you can request transfer to another duty station, provided they dont really need where you are.

The mission in the AF is a bit different than Navy. AF is about flying, you have the potential to be an Aerovac nurse(noncritical flight nurse). AF has different locations throughout the US however keep in mind they dont' have as many waterside locations like the Navy. The Navy has some of the nicest locations on the water. You should do a search on all the locations for both the AF and Navy. You may want to also check, I think the AF promotes a little slower than the Navy but don't quote me on that.

I dont see any real reason for you not to have a pet. My friend had one in the AF while in Italy and he brought the doggie back to the states with him. Yes, if you were deployed then you would have to have someone take care of your pet. I'm not sure if you could have a pet in base housing or not? I would think you could but another question or recruiter.

If you come in the military straight out of nursing school with no experience you more than likely will be put into med/surg right away to gain experience. HOwever, you would let your commanding officer/chief nurse know what your goals are right away so they can help stear you on that path. I would recommend you get a job right out of school and then apply to the military if that's what you decide to do. They always like to see experience. I would recommend if you could to get a job in critical care if you find some place to take you as a new grad. As a new officer i dont think you have to live on base. You can live off base and receive housing allowance. Alot of people like to do this. Navy hospitals dont always have base housing (i think).

As far as the hours for a miilitary nurse they are similar to that of civi nursing. Typically 12 hours shifts unlesss in a clinic you will do 8 hr. However, remember it's the needs of the military so you could work a little more without overtime like civi. Just keep that in mind. But there are so many other things to make up for like the service to your country, the discounts at the base exchange, and other incidentals, plus, education and training that gets paid for. Besides you can always work at a civi hosp on your days off. A fair amount of people do this. Just have to get permission.

So, remember, it's the needs of the military. You make a wish list of where you want to go. For Navy, new nurses generally get sent to Portsmouth, VA, Bethesda, MD, or San Diego, California. The navy also takes care of the Marines too, so you could possibly end up at one of those bases. Just look up those three big medical centers. Those are the biggest ones for the Navy. As far as the AF, they try to put new nurses in hospitals too. I dont think their hospitals are as big except for the one that merged with Brooke Army Med Ctr in Texas.

What branch matches up with what you want to do? Navy conducts humanitarian efforts via ship, you could get a chance to do that. But ask about that. They have waterside locations if that is of concern to you.

The AF is about the flying mission and generally their hospitals really are located within a base per se. Unlike the Navy. So, if you are interested in perhaps flying missions sometimes then think the AF, but remember there is no guarantee. You just have to make your intentions known. Besides it could also take sometime or just depends.

Be mindful there is always the Public Health Commissioned Corps. It may be harder to get in there. It's part of the military but you dont have to move around as much and you wear a uniform and make rank as well. It's just not as much bedside nursing i dont believe, but here again check into for sure.

Oh by the way, have you checked in ROTC. They can help you with school and you commission right after you graduate and serve your time to pay back.

I hope this helps you. Let me know if you have further questions and I will try to help you. What state are you in?

Either way i suggest you start working as a tech or something now if you aren't already and get a nursing job right away when you get out then apply.

polarbearnursing · Apr 8, 2012

Thank you so much for all the information. That is all very helpful. I have actually started the process of applying for the Navy Nurse Candidate Program. I'm not sure if you have heard of that or not? The things you listed above that would make a person choose the Navy were the reasons I picked the Navy over the Air Force. I don't really have any general military questions at the moment, but if you know of anyone or have any information on how long it takes to be accepted into the Navy Nurse Candidate Program that would be greatly appreciated! Oh, to answer your question I am from Ohio. Once again, thank you again for all the helpful information.

MBRN74 · Apr 8, 2012

PolarBear,

I have heard of the Nurse Candidate program but I really dont know much about it. It's a good thing you are applying already. How far along are you in school? That may make a difference. I'm pretty sure slots fill up fast. I encourage you to do very well with your grades, get a job as a patient care tech or something, go volunteer as much as you can somewhere and join a nursing organization (perhaps if your school has a student nurses association) or just find one of those in general. You need to show some leadership and community activity all the while maintaining your grades. Keep yourself in good physical shape. Also practice swimming, can you swim? I"m assuming so? If you keep a regular workout then you may be able to include that in your packet somewhere too. Perhaps you can also volunteer at a hospital, be an educator at a health fair (hand out pamphlets or something), do a community soup kitchen on a regular basis, volunteer at a nursing home on a regular, all these things you can include in your packet. Also be thinking about your motivaional statement if you havn't done so already (of course you may have to update it). Also, think about your motivations about why you want to join. Good luck to you and keep me updated. Feel free to contact me regarding questions you may have and I will try to answer. You are off to a good start, so keep it up:)

polarbearnursing · Apr 12, 2012

To answer your questions I am currently a freshman in a four year degree program. My recruiter says he will submit my package on August 1st (the first day the program opens for people in my year) and then I will wait to find out from there. So I have a lot of waiting to do. Thank you for reminding me about the nursing association activities, I forgot to include that I'm part of NSNA on my resume. I actually can't swim yet, but I have a few friends who are in the process of teaching me. I figured it would be a good idea to learn as the Navy has a lot to do with water. :) I'm not sure if you can answer this for me, but do you know what my rank will be when I first enter the military after the program? I've heard some say Lieutenant, but the lowest officer rank is an Ensign, so I'm not quite sure what everyone means.

Sw88tpea, BSN · Apr 14, 2012

Hi there!

-I just completed Officer Development School with the Navy in March and am working at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. I completed my BSN, RN and worked for a year before applying as I did not know I wanted to join until then.

-If you are within weight requirements you will make it through training. They do not want you to fail. People that had injuries the whole time (pre-existing and so forth) still made it. Things move so quickly that you don't have much time to think about not doing well, you just do it and then it's over. There were people who could not swim at my training. It will be ok and you will pass.

-Some people did the Nurse Candidacy Program which sounds like a sweet deal. The main benefit is that your 'time in service' starts when you start this program. So if you look on the pay chart (google it)-you could hit over two years as an Ensign (2nd LT in the other branches) while in school.

-Ensign/O-1 is equivalent to 2nd LT in the other branches, when you look on the pay charts etc you will be an O-1. The Navy is just special.

-I'm very happy with my choice to be in the Navy. I was told today that it is VERY likely that I will deploy on the USS Comfort-the hospital ship (one of two) with a big red cross on it that is stationed out of Bethesda, MD. It goes on a year long, around the world, humanitarian deployment and it is one of the many reasons I chose Navy. Can't wait!

-The Navy is unlikely to place you in trauma for the first 12-18mo without experience. I am hoping to get the Progressive Care Unit which is the ICU step down with hopes of moving up soon. I felt the same way about getting into ICU soon and I am confident that it will come in due time.

-Pets are not a problem until you deploy and it is unlikely (though possible) that you will deploy for at least the first 6-12 mos. My friends in Guam and Japan shipped their pets there.

-You are not required to live on base at your duty station. At training you live in a dorm-like setting for 6 weeks. I live in a nice house, off base, and a 15 min drive to work. Newly enlisted members are required to live on base for a bit-6 mos or so if single-not officers.

-Military nursing at a big hospital is very similar to civilian nursing. There is more accountability and more push for a professional, positive and productive working environment. You work with corpsmen who are similar to techs or CNAs only better. They can do a lot more under your supervision and are often the people you learn the most from.

-Other duties, called collateral duties may include education and training, safety officer, etc. They are not always required but look good and sometimes you may be 'volun-told' because you are new and they need someone.

-You are required to complete physical training 3x a week though it is independent. Sometimes we have scheduled group PT which is fun. You will have to pass a Personal Health Assessment twice a year which includes height/weight plus 1.5mile run/bike/eliptical/swim (in training you run) (14 min), and as many push-ups (23) and sit-ups (58) which change per your age. Those numbers are for females under 25 yo.

-I work about 3, 12 hour shifts a week. M/T 7-7 then F/S/U then W/T and repeat. Like any other nursing job 12 hour shifts are more like 14 hour shifts. You get used to it.

-Free time is spent doing whatever it is you do. Mine is working out, cooking, crafting, and socializing. The military is a very social arena.

Happy to answer more anytime, just taking a break for now. :)

polarbearnursing · May 30, 2012

Hi,

Thank you so much for all of that great information Sw88tpea, I really appreciate it. It sounds like you really enjoy your career as a Navy nurse. You said that there were people in your class as ODS that could not swim, was ODS any harder on them? To go along with that, you don't have to swim for the personal health assessment every year? As I'm looking at the AF and Navy, I keep coming back to the point you made about me being in the service for longer, so I will be higher up and so getting paid more. :) That's a major bonus for the Navy. How long will your cruises on the USS Comfort be? And if I were to choose not to try for one of the ships, what are my likely deployment sights? Do you know what deployments are like? I'm so glad to hear about your friends who had their pets shipped to them, I absolutely cannot live without my dog. :) Do you know of anyone who had more than one pet and how difficult it was for them and their pets to be shipped to a different country? I know the housing allowance varies based off of your base location, but what would you say the median is? I know you said you live in a very nice house so that is promising. You mentioned the "other duties". Can you describe those a little more? I LOVED hearing from you, the information was great and sounds so promising for Navy nursing!

mlockwood358 · Sep 18, 2013

Hi, Sw88tpea. Thanks for your post. It was very informative. I was reading it wishing I was in your shoes! I also want to work at one of the Navy's major hospitals and ultimately get sent out on the Comfort or Mercy.

I'm in the application process for the Navy's Direct Accession to join the Navy Nurse Corps. I wasn't eligible for the NCP b/c I'll be graduating too soon, so I'm applying to enter the Navy as a new grad (I graduate in June 2014). I'm scheduled for my two interviews in about a week! :) I have a question, though. Because I'm applying and will be a new grad, I won't have had any nursing experience. Will this negatively affect my chances of getting in? Also, any tips regarding the interviews? Thanks!