Army Nursing

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I just joined the army nurse corp and I will be leaving for training in July. The Mthat will be giving me my first duty station called and asked where I would like to be stationed for my first assignment (she told me I will most likely get my first choice). I told her Landstuhl, Germany, however, I am afraid I may have made the wrong choice (I am in between Hawaii and Germany). I would like some advice on where I should request to be stationed. Has any one been stationed in Germany. Where would I live (on or off base). Will I be living with Americans and see them around often. Also, I am a little nervous about the weather ( I heard it is cold and rainy ; is that true). Also, I am a very outdoorsy person and like to be active which is why I was thinking of requesting Hawaii. I am single and 21 (if that changes anything). Will I be working with patients coming from Iraq and Afganistan? I appreciate all the advice that I hope I recieve. I am just a little nervous because it is for the next three years of my life! Thanks for taking the time to respond!

Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.
I was stationed in Germany in the 1990's.

It was a great experience.

I would get locked into an overseas assignment: Germany, Korea, Hawaii...etc.

Then, here is the important part, get out of the Army.

Do your initial 3 year commitment then take your experiences and use them in the civilian world.

If you'd like to be an administrator and not take care of patients, stay in the Army.

If you like patient care, be a civilian.

Again ANC officer=administrator

Hi armyfnp72:

Sounds like you had really bad experiences in the ANC.

And yes, you are correct, in part: As you go up in rank you can get farther and farther away from the bedside. But being an ANC Officer does not = administrator. Not at all!

Usually most new graduates come in as 01 or 02. Some with experience under their belt come in as 03. Even with the rank of 04 you are still at the bedside unless you are selected to be OIC of a unit somewhere and are MAJ(p). Once you hit 05 it gets harder to deploy, as well (unless you are mission essential)

athena

Iraq

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Specializes in Med/Surg;Hm Health;House Super; ER.
Hi armyfnp72:

Sounds like you had really bad experiences in the ANC.

And yes, you are correct, in part: As you go up in rank you can get farther and farther away from the bedside. But being an ANC Officer does not = administrator. Not at all!

Usually most new graduates come in as 01 or 02. Some with experience under their belt come in as 03. Even with the rank of 04 you are still at the bedside unless you are selected to be OIC of a unit somewhere and are MAJ(p). Once you hit 05 it gets harder to deploy, as well (unless you are mission essential)

athena

Iraq

Oh, good grief..I just wrote an entire paragraph & then my computer glitched & lost it...grrrrr.... Anyway, long time since I've been here on the forum! I have been waiting for 4+ years --because I had to finish my BSN before I could join Army (as I've mentioned before, because my ASN was accredited by the CA BRN versus nationally accredited -which is only one military allows). Now I'm having to do my MEPS over again next week, & I had to update my entire preexisting packet for the board. Now, when I was supposed to be going active, they're saying the active ER/Med/Surg slots are now full for this fiscal year, so I have to stay reserves in a Med/Surg slot for now until the next fiscal year (ughhhh, which is a bummer, because M/S is NOT my niche!). So, I'm just floating in limbo for the moment still!

Athena55....I wanted to ask you...what is "mission essential" pertain to? Just having a job within the mission that is irreplaceable, so you stay in that sector? Just a curiosity :). Thanks!

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Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.
Oh, good grief..I just wrote an entire paragraph & then my computer glitched & lost it...grrrrr.... Anyway, long time since I've been here on the forum! I have been waiting for 4+ years --because I had to finish my BSN before I could join Army (as I've mentioned before, because my ASN was accredited by the CA BRN versus nationally accredited -which is only one military allows). Now I'm having to do my MEPS over again next week, & I had to update my entire preexisting packet for the board. Now, when I was supposed to be going active, they're saying the active ER/Med/Surg slots are now full for this fiscal year, so I have to stay reserves in a Med/Surg slot for now until the next fiscal year (ughhhh, which is a bummer, because M/S is NOT my niche!). So, I'm just floating in limbo for the moment still!

Athena55....I wanted to ask you...what is "mission essential" pertain to? Just having a job within the mission that is irreplaceable, so you stay in that sector? Just a curiosity :). Thanks!

Hi Care&Joy:

Gosh, sux that you have to wait for next fy! I would be banging my head against something...

Yes, you are correct: Mission Essential means exactly that....Example: you are the only 66H8A (critical care nurse) for the CSH and your replacement broke his leg and won't be coming in after your six months are up....So since you are "mission essential" you have the joy of staying longer than you thought....That is why, after the ANC petitioned to have our tours cut from 15 months to 12 months to 6 months, everyones TCS orders will say (for length of stay) "271 days or until mission completed" in case one must stay longer than 180 days , there will be no need to rush and obtain new orders...Your original TCS will have you covered (and you will be paid :up:)

Keep us posted as to what is going on with you.....And Welcome Back:yeah:

athena

Iraq

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Specializes in Med/Surg;Hm Health;House Super; ER.
Hi Care&Joy:

Gosh, sux that you have to wait for next fy! I would be banging my head against something...

Yes, you are correct: Mission Essential means :

athena

Iraq

Thanks!

Yep! I was bummed that, once I finally made the decision to do active rather than reserves, I'd have to go Reserves (supposedly, we'll see) for now anyway until I can actually go Active. Whew! Well, my Tuesday MEPS has been postponed until later into the week d/t some issues at the meps dept. So at least that gives me some extra "lose-some-extra-chunk" days, ha ha. Take care! Holly C.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
Thanks!

Yep! I was bummed that, once I finally made the decision to do active rather than reserves, I'd have to go Reserves (supposedly, we'll see) for now anyway until I can actually go Active. Whew! Well, my Tuesday MEPS has been postponed until later into the week d/t some issues at the meps dept. So at least that gives me some extra "lose-some-extra-chunk" days, ha ha. Take care! Holly C.

If you want to go active in the future you will have to go thru the whole board process again to include a physical etc.

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Specializes in Med/Surg;Hm Health;House Super; ER.
If you want to go active in the future you will have to go thru the whole board process again to include a physical etc.

Really? I will have to ask my recruiter about that, as they already know the plan is for me to go active after a year when the slots are open again....Does anybody know, if that's the case, if that is something that can be built into my contract? Thanks :rolleyes:

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

I recently switched from reserves to active, & yes I had to go thru the whole process again. I also work with another 1LT who also switched and had to do the process again. If the recruiter says that you do not, ask to see the regulation which states that you do not have to reapply for AD.

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Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.

Hello All:

When I went from RC to AC I didn't have to go through the whole process again, i.e., MEPS. However I did have to submit another application with all the supporting documents. The hardest part was the waiting, of course!

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.

Athena, how long have you been AD? I'm wondering what your rank is and what kind of nursing you do. And are you in the same position during your deployment?

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Specializes in Med/Surg;Hm Health;House Super; ER.
Hello All:

When I went from RC to AC I didn't have to go through the whole process again, i.e., MEPS. However I did have to submit another application with all the supporting documents. The hardest part was the waiting, of course!

Did that include having to get references from people all over again?

That has always been the biggest pain in the tail for me. Getting people for refs is easy, but it's the actually following through part to actually get them done & in the mail. My recruiter was saying since the active slots I wanted were closed right now, I might as well do reserves for a year & then go active when the slots are open....so I'm assuming that should mean getting the paperwork done immediately so it's ready the moment the slots are open.

OF COURSE, NOW it might not even matter. As since my last MEPS had expired (in October) after I had PASSED it & had been approved with the exact same past medical paperwork in their hands at that time as they do now (nothing new has been added since then)...the NEW Doctor told my recruiter yesterday that he wasn't even going to bother seeing me for my second MEPS & that I was disqualified on the spot. Grrrrr.... So I'm going to pursue it by getting new tests & seeing what they say to hand over for reevaluation.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
Hello All:

When I went from RC to AC I didn't have to go through the whole process again, i.e., MEPS. However I did have to submit another application with all the supporting documents. The hardest part was the waiting, of course!

How old was your physical. Did you have a recent 5 year physical since you stated that you did not have to go thru MEPS. For my physical I went to Ft. Sam not MEPS.

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Germany is great!!!! You will enjoy the weather, sightsee and the various touring sites. Most of all the culture. I have been in 14 years current preparing my packet for direct commission just graduated and passed my boards. I see you all are direct commissioned can you please tell me what to expect and how long to wait. I have been reading post of people enrolling in the Army Nurse Candidate program due to uncertainty of having a slot for the direct commission. Can you please tell me your experience with direct commission? Thanks in advance

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