Army Duty Stations?

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Hello everyone,

I am trying to preference my duty stations out of the 10 I can choose from. Ultimately, the choice belongs to the Army and that I know I will go wherever they need me.

Just a little background about myself, I am graduating in less than a week with my BSN as well as Commissioning through AROTC into the Nurse Corps.

Here are my ten choices so far in order

Walter Reed, Maryland

Fort Belvoir, Virgnia

Madigan, Washington

San Antonio, Texas

Tripler, Hawaii

Landstuhl, Germany

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Fort Gordon, Georgia

Fort Bliss, Texas

Fort Hood, Texas

Has anyone been to each of these locations and share some insights if possible. And can anyone share their experiences with CNTP?

Thank you!

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Fort Gordon is in Augusta which is a cool little city. Also the Masters is there in April and is super cool. I would personally have that much higher.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Fort Gordon is in Augusta which is a cool little city. Also the Masters is there in April and is super cool. I would personally have that much higher.

I am pretty sure that most Augusta residents flee the city during the Masters. lol. That is when the Medical College of Georgia schedules its spring break, on purpose! :D It is a cool city, though. Ft. Gordon seems nice, the hospital is big and has a wide variety of patients. I know several Army RNs who started at Ft. Gordon as new grads and loved working there, and my last boss was a nurse manager there and misses it very much. I think it's one of those "hidden gems" in the Army.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Walter Reed, Maryland

Fort Belvoir, Virgnia

Madigan, Washington

San Antonio, Texas

Tripler, Hawaii

Landstuhl, Germany

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Fort Gordon, Georgia

Fort Bliss, Texas

Fort Hood, Texas

By virtue of being a military brat and then military myself, I have been to all the locations except for Tripler and Hood — not always as an RN, so I cannot comment on that. But I grew up near Madigan for the time that I lived in the US as a kid, then I moved overseas and graduated from high school some years later near Landstuhl.

As a new nurse, I'd recommend SAMMC (San Antonio) and Madigan (JBLM) at the top of the list. Walter Reed is great, but like Ft. Belvoir, both locations come with a very high cost of living and TOTALLY HORRIBLE traffic. I commuted around DC for a decade, it has only gotten worse! I love Germany and would tell you to pick Landstuhl as well, though your patient population is decreasing a bit there, I suspect.

Do you have a family? Children? Other considerations for location?

Congrats on your upcoming graduation and commission! How many ROTC cadets were chosen for active duty this year, do you know?

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Hi Pixie, thank you so much!

I'll start off by answering your question about cadets chosen for active duty. Cadet Command has 145 active duty nursing slots for the next 3-4 years I believe. Last year it was 175, two years ago it was 210. In total, every year there's about 250ish nursing cadets who commission through ROTC.

More about myself, I am basically going to be a fresh college graduate. Not married, 21 years old (22 by the time I finish BOLC). I've always wanted to go to the East Coast and experience something new (NYC is close enough, I love US History as well) and over the school year it has become more and more appealing. Two of my best friends in the Navy Nurse Corps got stationed there as well so we were planning on living together.

I did my NSTP rotation at SAMMC but I learned quickly that the location and scenery isn't for me. I love the hospital though and all the staff that I got to work with don't get me wrong. The burn unit was an interesting experience and their ER seemed really nice compared to all the other ones I've got to see. I put it up higher because the hospital is a teaching hospital and there's a lot of room for opportunity and growth according to a lot of the nurses I've spoken with there. As for Madigan, well... I'm from the WA area but I'd rather be there if I don't get the East Coast simply because family and friends.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I can see why Walter Reed is at the top. :) I mentored an ROTC cadet for a summer externship last year, and she was chosen for active duty as well. She ended up at Walter Reed and loves it. There is a lot to see/do in the DC area, so it's a good choice for young/single. Just live close to the Metro if possible! :D

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I've been to SAMMC/BAMC in San Antonio and loved it there. I put it #2 on my list and I recently got word that I will be stationed there. Madigan was my #1 and I was surprised (but not upset) that I didn't get it since I took the NCLEX so much earlier than cadets I know from other schools.

All of these hospitals are big facilities where you will get good exposure so I would just base it on what part of the country you want to live in. I didn't rank Walter Reed very high, but I also wasn't too interested in DC while that might be important to you. If I can tell you anything, it's to not get your heart set on your #1 because you never know what the Army will decide to do with you.

Also, we might be going to BOLC together if you get to take the NCLEX soon. Let me know if you end up with a July BOLC! Good luck!

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