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Discussion

Army Direct Commission

Hi, I'm brand new here and just finished my 1st semester of nursing school. I'm in an ASN program right now and have already met with an RN-BSN advisor, the BSN I plan to complete when I graduate from my ASN program. I have virtually no experience working in healthcare.

My question here is for anyone who has direct commissioned in the army nurse corps; did you commission with a BSN or with other degrees as well, and what rank did you enter in at? I'm looking at completing a dual degree program BSN/BS in psych and maybe commissioning in the army reserve. I also enlisted for 3 years after high school in a non-medical MOS. What was your experience like and what rank do you think that would warrant based on your experience? How was the DCC and BOLC?

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    • Moderator

    I direct-commissioned as an ER/trauma nurse with a BSN, as is the minimum requirement. Your prior enlisted experience will have no bearing on officer rank, nor will additional non-nursing degrees. Essentially you get 50% constructive credit for each year of RN experience you have at the time you commission. Anything that gets you more than 18 months of credit (so 36 months of civilian RN time) would allow you to commission as a 1LT instead of a 2LT.

    The Army is competitive, as are all branches, really. You need to have a great GPA and your application needs to stand out. Experienced nurses are more desired.

    I wrote a lot of articles about BOLC, but my experience is about 8 years old now.

    I will move your post to the Government/Military forum to encourage responses. :)

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    • Author

    Ok, thank you.

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    I came in as a 1LT and was promoted to Captain within a year. I believe that I had about 5 years experience as an RN with a BSN. I was an OR nurse with ICU and ER experience.

    Best of luck to you!

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    My packet went to the Oct 31 board and found out that I was selected a couple weeks later. A couple weeks after that I received my "memo" to commission as a 1LT. I have been a nurse nearly 5 years (BSN) with 2 of those years being med-surg experience and a also specialty certification under my belt. Any leadership opportunities you have taken advantage of or spear-headed will also help you stand out, I think. I haven't been to DCC or BOLC yet!

    Definitely read Pixie's blog! When I first started the process, I think I read nearly every article she wrote! Very helpful :)

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    • Experts

    You will get credit for 3 years of military service as far as your pay; it will be credited towards your retirement too,. However, you don't have the 4 years plus 1 day you need to get the "E" added to your pay grade; it gets you more pay.

    I wouldn't waste your time on a psych degree/major (no offense). No one is going to care about that as far as nursing is concerned. Focus on getting good grades rather than double-majoring.

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