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Discussion

Army Nursing

Hi!

I just started my school's nursing program. I will be graduating with my BSN in Spring of 2018. I am highly interested in joining the Army Nurse Corps when I graduate. In some places I have read that the Army requires 2 years experience prior to joining, and other places I read that they accept new grads. I have also read various places that they are not recruiting nurses at all right now. By the time I graduate, I will be 22 and will have interned on med-surg for 2 years and ER for a year. I guess I am wondering if there is anything I can do to better my chances of getting in. Should I being talking to a recruiter now? My school does not have an ROTC program so any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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    • Featured Replies

    I would get in contact with a healthcare recruiter, the earlier the better. Make sure they are a healthcare recruiter and not your general recruiter as they only deal with enlisted.

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    • Experts

    Your 'interning' in med-surg or ER doesn't count. Those are just clinical rotations with a fancy name. All nursing programs have them, as it is a requirement for accreditation. Only time spent working full-time as an independently-practicing RN counts.

    Military nursing is largely similar from branch to branch. I can't give you any insider info about the Army, just AF. Any reason you're not considering Navy or Air Force? They both definitely take new grads.

    Get good grades...hopefully at least a 3.5. If you can, try getting involved in a community or school organization and being in a leadership role. The military likes leadership roles. At my university, we had a free health clinic that I was on the board for.

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    • Author

    My internship is not through my university, I am hired with a local healthcare system and attached to an RN and can preform nursing duties under their supervision. My family has history mainly in the Army, I am not excluding the Air Force or Navy, Army would just be my top choice if at all possible. I hold a position in our Student Nurse's Association and was hoping this would help as well. Thanks for your feedback.

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    • Author

    Okay sounds good. Thanks for your feedback!

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    • Experts

    Your pay is at a CNA II/EMT-B level I imagine? A lot of schools do the internship thing similarly, except that the school often arranges it. Though helpful for your clinical development, I'm not sure that is really going to set you apart in the application. You will still be considered a new grad without any nursing experience.

    Yes, the student nursing association is helpful. Make sure you have something to show for the position. What fundraisers did you lead? How many people did you recruit to join your organization? You should mention those things in the interview and the essay questions in the application.

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