ASN nursing in military

Cursed Irishman · Jan 25, 2010

While the army reserve still accepts adn's, given the current climate, it is a very low number. You will most likely be pointed toward the STRAP program to complete your bsn.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jan 25, 2010

sorry if these questions have been posted elsewhere. i am an asn nurse and am interested in joining the military. i work in a large trauma center (recovery room) and have around three years experience. unfortunately it looks like no one utilizes asn nurses, you almost have to have your bsn. what options do i have? can i maybe join the army reserve (since they accept asn) and get money to go back to school? yes, but the number of adn nurses they accept each year is limited. from reading other post there will be no more accession boards this fiscal year. if you join the army reserves you can sign up for the strp program which will pay most if not all of your tution for your bsn. also you will not be deployed while using this program. will i still be commissioned as an officer in this situation? yes, with 3 years experience you should come in as a 2lt, but should become a 1lt in about 6 months. any suggestions and info will be greatly appreciated. thanks!

if you want to join the army reserves contact a healthcare recruiter now. it takes a minumin of 6 months to complete the process. make sure you speak with a healthcare recruiter not a enlisted recruiter which are the ones located in most towns. go to goarmy.com to find a healthcare recruiter near you. good luck.

Lindzh · Jan 25, 2010

A word of caution, your ASN program must be NATIONALLY ACCREDITED. ie NLN or CCNE. I called my local AMEDD recruiter last fall all excited about joining the reserves and utilizing STRAP monies to help pay for school, only to find out that my associates program was not nationally accredited. The BSN program at the school was, but the powers that be decided that accrediting the ADN was a waist of time. So now I am taking classes on my own dime to finish my BSN in hopes of going active duty upon completion, and already have the application packet to do so. So it boils down to this: before you get your hopes too high, check that the program you graduated from is accredited by an agency that the federal government recognizes. It briefly broke my heart when I found that my well figured plan of action wasn't at all possible. Hope this helps.

Care&Joy · Jan 25, 2010

A word of caution, your ASN program must be NATIONALLY ACCREDITED. ie NLN or CCNE. I called my local AMEDD recruiter last fall all excited about joining the reserves and utilizing STRAP monies to help pay for school, only to find out that my associates program was not nationally accredited. The BSN program at the school was, but the powers that be decided that accrediting the ADN was a waist of time. So now I am taking classes on my own dime to finish my BSN in hopes of going active duty upon completion, and already have the application packet to do so. So it boils down to this: before you get your hopes too high, check that the program you graduated from is accredited by an agency that the federal government recognizes. It briefly broke my heart when I found that my well figured plan of action wasn't at all possible. Hope this helps.

Yes, that is EXACTLY what happened on my end AFTER my MEPS & entire packet was already put together.....pretty much sucked, ha. Yes, it has to be nationally accredited....as mine was California Board accredited....{{sigh}}, so I had to wait until my BSN was complete & now I had to go through the entire packet/MEPS process all over again 3 years later (3 because I chose to work in another field for another year after my BSN was done .

lwood336 · Jan 26, 2010

Thanks for the responses to my question. Has anyone gone through this situation (go into reserves with ASN degree and obtain their BSN while serving)? Thanks again!

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2010

Yes, I have. After I completed my BSN I went on active duty. Had to reapply to change over to AD from reserves.