Army's help to obtaining a degree in Nursing

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My goal is to obtain a B.A. in RN and pursue a masters in CRNA. Here is a list of questions for anyone who is/has/or has access to the Army...

1) How can the Army help in obtaining a B.A. in register nursing, either directly through the Army colleges, or funding while I attend the college of my choice.

2) If there is financial help for education, what's the length of time before I can access the help for someone who is just planning to join the Army and how much financial help is available?

3) What other benefits is there in joining the Army in pursuing my education in Nursing and entering into the school of my choice.

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Nursing is a science curriculum so you would get a B.S. not a B.A. -- as far as the questions about the Army helping financially, there seems to be a couple of programs that one would be able to choose from... Then there is always the GI bill once you have completed your service obligation.

Undergraduate Health Care Education | goarmy.com

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The army has several ways of helping you pay for school. As for which way is best for you, are you enlisted already or thinking about it? If you are still thinking about it and haven't signed any papers yet, talk to some recruiters in your area. There should also be information available online to give you an idea, like the link from the PP.

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Here is the deal. There is an Army Nursing program where it's a 2 year nursing school and then you serve 4 years to pay it off. I am not sure what prereqs you need for that. But also, we used to have a 150 credit hour per year cap for undergrad work, but now its 16 credit hours per YEAR. I'm doing that in one semester so. The army is not a choice to be taken lightly. I joined for education and it's been hell. We do not mesh. At all. I think you would have to jump through way too many hoops to get to the RN program. You need to have 36 months or 5 years (I need to check) in order to use your post 911 benefits. It pays you a housing allowance for 36 months of a E5 with dependents, your tuition, and a $1000 for books per year. I am using that to pay for nursing school. I joined as a lab tech and got an associate degree of health sciences out of it.

PS. You aren't allowed to use tuition assistance until you've been in a full year now as well.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

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

Any Army assistance (like the Army Enlisted Commissioning Program [AECP]) is highly competitive and you have to meet a minimum time in service before you can even apply. If you enlist now, there is no guarantee you'll be able to attend school and meet your military obligations at the same time; it is at the discretion of your command, and tuition assistance (TA) sometimes gets taken away or suspended (as it did this year) due to budget issues. The recruiting climate just isn't what it was -- the military is not going to pay you to go to school. However, the GI Bill is still a benefit to those who have met service minimums. I know enlisted people who have a significant time in service and a great military record who aren't getting selected for any programs; they are getting out to use their GI Bill benefits for nursing school.

This thread might be helpful for you: https://allnurses.com/government-military-nursing/military-nursing-885815.html

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