Being a nurse in the army

allnurses Guide · Aug 8, 2014

You should try the military/government nursing forum.

The ratio of male to female nurses in the military is very close to being a 50:50 split. Deployments vary quite a lot and are slowing down right now. Moving from one base to base in the Army is probably going to about every 3 years.

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2014

I've served with many, many male Army nurses in my career. Wtbcrna is correct--the split between male and female is very nearly 50/50 in the service. I'm not sure why you'd think your gender would be a problem.

Concerto_in_C, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2014

I'd say don't do it unless you really have the commitment and love of the military or you have dramatic financial difficulties that only the army can assist with.

Nursing is a military-like organization even in civilian life because the discipline can be draconian and there is little tolerance for making mistakes. In the military the harshness of the superiors will increase exponentially.

In the military people will be telling you when to sleep and when the crap. I couldn't do it without becoming rebellious. I'd end up fragging my superior officers because I'm too cynical and too defiant, but that's just my personality.

I don't have any problems in civilian nursing. In my present job (2.5 years) the worst disciplinary problem I had was a verbal warning from the manager because like 2 patients complained about me in 1 day (my attitude that day) but that was just 1 incident and I had no further problems.

allnurses Guide · Aug 25, 2014

I'd say don't do it unless you really have the commitment and love of the military or you have dramatic financial difficulties that only the army can assist with.
Nursing is a military-like organization even in civilian life because the discipline can be draconian and there is little tolerance for making mistakes. In the military the harshness of the superiors will increase exponentially.
In the military people will be telling you when to sleep and when the crap. I couldn't do it without becoming rebellious. I'd end up fragging my superior officers because I'm too cynical and too defiant, but that's just my personality.
I don't have any problems in civilian nursing. In my present job (2.5 years) the worst disciplinary problem I had was a verbal warning from the manager because like 2 patients complained about me in 1 day (my attitude that day) but that was just 1 incident and I had no further problems.

I don't know if you were enlisted line side before going onto civilian nursing, but I promise you military nursing is nothing like the picture you are trying to paint.

1. IMO the military tends to be more lenient on making mistakes than most civilian workplaces.

2. The medical side of the uniformed services tend to me fairly laid back. It has its ups and downs but there are very few medical places in the military that I would call Draconian.

3. Leadership at any job varies greatly, but most military leaders try to take care of their people not only at work but throughout their entire lives. Being in the military is more like working with a bunch of family members than just co-workers. You will find more respect and more help than almost any civilian position that you can name.

4. The education of military nurses is top notch. All military nurses have at least BSN, and most at or above the rank of Captain/O-3 have a Masters degree.

All of our new APNs are being trained at the Doctorate level now which was 2 years before the recommended 2015 AACN date.

Concerto_in_C, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2014

I don't know if you were enlisted line side before going onto civilian nursing, but I promise you military nursing is nothing like the picture you are trying to paint.

Life has taught me to distrust people who make promises (esp. military recruiters) so I never served. Life taught me self-reliance. Everything I achieved I did all by myself, without any backing.

Nonetheless, if you are active service or veteran I totally respect, admire you and thank you.

Bjarte · Aug 26, 2014

I was in the Army for a little over six years working with and later for the US Army Medical Command and I can tell you that I 100% agree with the responses so far. Also note that deployments and assignments are slowing down in all branches of the service, Army included. This is because soldiers just aren't needed as much as they were during peek points of OIF/OEF. All branches are turning away many qualified nurse candidates because of this. That's not to say that you couldn't join still in the next four years or so but that it is highly competitive. If the fact that you are a male is detouring you from even trying then I would urge you to consider another path. No disrespect but that kind of outlook going into a predominantly female profession is setting yourself up for failure before you even make steps toward your goal. In the end if it is really what you want to do in life trivial things such as gender won't stop you. I would also suggest trying to find an MEDCOM recruiter or ROTC program in your area and speak with them if you want to pursue this. They should, and I say should with a grain of salt, be able to tell you how the projections for the nurse corps are looking and offer some additional advice. I'd also have to agree with wtbcrna and say to take Concerto_in_C's opinion as just that an opinion; and a very poor grasp on what military life is like.

Concerto_in_C, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2014

The best time to be a military nurse was when Dubya was just launching his Vietraq campaign. At that time I was in the contemplative stage starting to think about taking nursing prerequisites so I was nowhere near being a nurse.

If you missed that recruitment bonanza 10 years ago, now you are looking at a military that is looking forward to kicking officers out of the service, just like corporations downsize. Worst possible time to consider being an officer in the armed forces.

Of course...with the type of mentality we have in Washington DC, the likelihood of another major war is pretty high. You may get your chance if you are young enough.

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2014

I'd say don't do it unless you really have the commitment and love of the military or you have dramatic financial difficulties that only the army can assist with.

Still not worth it. If you're not in love with the Army, don't join.

Nursing is a military-like organization even in civilian life because the discipline can be draconian and there is little tolerance for making mistakes. In the military the harshness of the superiors will increase exponentially.

Maybe. Some military supervisors are really nitpicky. Even more so than in the civilian experience, your job performance as a military nurse reflects on your superiors. They are responsible to a greater degree for your errors. However, with that said, there's a mix of personalities in the service, just like any other profession/workplace.

In the military people will be telling you when to sleep and when the crap.

This is absolutely incorrect, especially if the OP comes in as an officer. The AMEDD is a very different ballgame than the enlisted side of the Army.

I couldn't do it without becoming rebellious. I'd end up fragging my superior officers because I'm too cynical and too defiant, but that's just my personality.

I suppose you're the only one who could make such an assumption, but at the same time, how would you know if you've never done it?

OP, please peruse the link below to get a better feel for what military nursing is actually like from those who are/have been in the service. Speculation is all well and good for idle chatter, but if you really want to join, you'll do yourself a favor by gleaning the experience and suggestions of actual military nurses.

Government / Military Nursing

allnurses Guide · Aug 26, 2014

FYI: The majority of cuts in military personnel are not active duty medical/nurse corps officers.

chare · Aug 26, 2014

Life has taught me to distrust people who make promises (esp. military recruiters) so I never served. Life taught me self-reliance. Everything I achieved I did all by myself, without any backing.

So you're giving advice regarding serving in the military based upon what?

Wile E Coyote, ASN, RN · Aug 27, 2014

Another prior service (active Army) chiming in. My time playing Army was not medically related, however got to experience their operation from the other side of the bed for an extended period. Over my later years as an RN, I've also spoken with dozens of physicians and nurses that have or still are serving. All of that lead up was to say this: Literally every one of my experiences personally or through lengthy discussions mirror what's already been posted here by those that have actually walked the walk. Playing the military system well can net you a stack of diplomas and certifications with little outlay of your own $. There are some heavy downsides of course, so proceed with eyes wide open.