Any other MilSpouses with concerns?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hi All!!

I wanted to start a new thread to see if there are any other military spouses out there. I am about to start my last semester of prereqs for the BSN program close to Fort Hood. I am so excited and would love to hear everyone else's story, successes, concerns, etc.

I am a little nervous about getting hired once I graduate bc the chance of PCSing. Also, I hope transferring my license from state to state is not to difficult. :)

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Air Force wife here. We're in Georgia.

I'm not too worried about finding a job with PCSing. Of course Id prefer for us to get orders to a big city and not a small town, but I'm not worried. I mostly worry about PCSing overseas and finding a job. I try not to think about it though.

As for transferring the license look into nurse licensure compact (you can google it). You may luck up and be in one of the states that participates. If not, I don't think it's too difficult. Time consuming in some places, but not difficult.

I guess my other issues are deployment. I understand that he has to go and everything will be alright, but I'll be a nervous emotional wreck. I'll definately have to keep my emotions in check and stay focused in school. I'll just need to find a balance of maintaining my marriage, household and school. Should be interesting. But we'll make it.

I wish you luck in everything! Always love to hear from other milspouses.

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It is nice to meet you! Have you gone through a deployment yet? I didn't think it was as I thought it would be. I just worry about having to work night during a deployment! I have no idea what I would with our kids since we have no family close.

Have you started school yet? I went full time during the deployment and I think it helped a lot.

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I start nursing school in August. Finishing up pre reqs this summer.Haven't been through a deployment yet. What was your experience with it?As for the working hours- I don't know how people do it. A lot of hospitals here have 12 hour shifts. I hear about people doing PRN. You make your own schedule. No benefits, but you can fall back on Tricare. Not ideal, but its an option.

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Hi! I'm a USAF wife and we're overseas right now (im originally from GA but lived in NC forever too!) so I'm trying to finish as many prerequisites as possible then apply to schools when we get back stateside! My husbands going to hopefully be cross-training so a lot is in limbo right now... I was accepted to a nursing program in SC before I moved here so I don't have many left to complete- as of now we should only be here in the UK about another year

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I am an army wife. I did my first two years of nursing school at home, while hubby was deployed. I am now in Hawaii and am taking a break from nursing school until his ETS in June. My sophomore year I definitely struggled while he was deployed... It was tough going the entire length of the school year without him. However, it definitely made me excited for the future for my last two years of school because if a student can work under those types of circumstances, you can do anything! :)

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I am in 2nd semester of pre reqs for CTC. I am an armywife of 19 years as well as a veteran. HANG IN THERE!!!

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DH is AD USMC and I'm a USMC vet (and currently a reservist). We were lucky enough to be in San Diego for 4 yrs, so I did most of my prereq's, as well as NS out there. I did do a few prereqs online, prior to getting off of AD, as well, and I already have a BA, so I didn't have too many to do, other than the sciences. We have 3 kids, and they were 1, 3 and 4 when I started NS. I did a 5 semester, accelerated program, and DH was deployed for the 2nd year of NS (last 2 semesters; if I remember correctly, he came back about 3 weeks before I graduated). For extra fun, I took the NCLEX 2 weeks after graduating and PCS'd the next week. I, personally, had no problem finding a job as a new grad, but I know that is not the experience that all/ most people have. There are definitely challenges to trying to break into a market you are completely unfamiliar with (different than people who apply all over the country, willing to move to the job; we have to move and then hope that the new market we've landed in will accept us).

As far as getting a job when you PCS, I definitely think that getting your BSN is the best way to go. There are parts of the country where getting hired with an ADN is very difficult, even if you went to school there, let alone if you are coming from somewhere else. Someone mentioned PRN, and personally, I think it's a great option for AD spouses, however, you need to get experience first. Not sure of who is going to hire someone PRN who is right out of school. I don't want to pay for benefits that I already get through DH, so I decline insurance at work and go with Tricare/ MetLife. We move next summer, so I will have worked about 2 1/2 years full time by then and will most likely be looking to PRN work at our next duty station (though I do love public health, so if I could land a 9-5 gig that works with my kids' school hours, I would definitely consider doing that full time). Good luck!

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I am in 2nd semester of pre reqs for CTC. I am an armywife of 19 years as well as a veteran. HANG IN THERE!!!

I just transferred to CTC from UMHB bc childcare expense. (Long story lol) I'm taking A&P II this semester and everything else online. :)

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I am hoping to finish prereqs here and do NS when we PCS. The not knowing where we will be next year has been killing me!

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My airman is training in FL then will be stationed at Dover AFB! I'm from Maryland and taking pre reqs here to apply to nursing school in MD/DE. I want to get the BSN because I know that will help in the long run if we get stationed somewhere that isn't offering as many jobs I will have a little bit of an edge. Also the time period for me to get the ADN is the same as the BSN... I literally just need to take the clinical and theory courses. I think nursing is one of the best careers to have as a military spouse because nurses are needed everywhere. I do think if we get overseas, I would have a hard time finding a job because the base hopsital would have so many people trying to work there. I would probably stop working for a bit and get an online master's degree. It's nice to hear from all of you who have the same concerns/situation I have.

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I started pre-reqs in Florida (our home state) and then we moved to Virginia. I've been able to complete (graduating in December) my Associates degree here going part time for 3 years while surviving 1 Navy deployment. Now DH is deployed again and he's up for orders again next year. I'm starting a 2.5 yr BSN program in January, and we've made the agreement that if he can't stay here for new orders I will finish out my program here and try to sell our house and he will be a Geo. Bachelor where ever the Navy sends him. Its not ideal, but after transferring schools a couple of times, I'm not leaving without my degree.

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