Any Navy CRNA's out there?

johanna767 · Feb 2, 2011

Tommy,

As you have been in the Navy before I am sure you know there is no guarantee that you will be placed into a critical care unit your first year as a Navy Nurse. Just about everyone has to do time in a general ward such as Med-Surg or Mother-Baby before earning a position in a specialized unit. I do know a few nurses who worked in the civilian world and came into the Navy with their 1960's (Critical Care sub-specialty code). Those are the nurses that have the best odds of going straight to a critical care unit. (The rest of us earn our 1960's after working critical care for a year.)

With that being said, the current DUINS (duty under instruction) rules state you must have completed your first tour before starting school. So you would have to serve about three years before you can apply. The plus to coming back to the Navy right after school is you start working toward that time, earning money and time toward retirement... The downside - you will have to work your way up to Critical care - but that is not such a bad thing, gives you time to develop your nursing skills and you can use TA (tuition assistance) to take any courses you may need for anesthesia school such as biochem. This also gives you time to learn how to be an officer and a good leader - to develop your self so that your FITREPs will speak highly of you. The Navy's Nurse Anesthesia program is competitive, you have to prove you are a good nurse, officer, and student - They look at the whole picture.

I'm not sure I would go the civilian route for CRNA school if you are planning on coming back to the military. Think of all of those years that could have counted toward retirement... Plus, through the DUINS program, you get free tuition at the Uniformed Services University as well as your full pay, BAS, and BAH - it's a pretty good deal :)

Tommy2001 · Feb 9, 2011

johanna,

thanks so much for your insight! i have been thinking a lot about what you said. it makes complete sense to go active duty and continue the retirement clock let alone full benefits while going to school. my wife is working on her master's in midwifery at wayne state university and i think i'll be done before she finishes. i want to make sure she's done before i commission so there is no worries of her not being able to complete her educational goals. i know i will go where the navy needs me. during this time i will grab a critical care job as a civilian and get my year of experience. after she finishes i'll go active and begin the transition. i totally agree with you about becoming an officer and a nurse. i was enlisted for eight years and got out as an e-6 it has always been my dream since bootcamp to become a naval officer. we used to say, "before you can be a master at arms you first have to be a sailor." i think so many people who come in are so focused on their job, but fail to realize it's more than that. there are tons of young people who look up to you and idealize you as an officer. i know because i was one of them. it is your responsibility as an officer to guide them in a positive way. i know my plate will be full with becoming a good officer and nurse at the same time. it is going to be a whole different ball game as an "o". busy days.

i agree school shouldn't be until after my first four as a new "butter bar"..lol i will do my time and prove that i am worthy of the navy's investment. i think it also gives me the opportunity to see the different avenues in nursing. i also have an interest in psychiatry nursing and noticed usu has a np program for that. it is an exciting time for me, being so close of achieving my dream. i'll get there. a few more questions i was at bud/s in 2000 and remember san diego being a great town but haven't been back since. is it still a nice place and kid friendly? also what exactly or how involved are psychiatry nurse and nurse practitioner in a military setting? i also didn't see any pre-reqs for crna school other than the one year of acute care. no organic chem? thank you for your guidance and i promise i'll leave you alone after this! thanks again.

JG2900 · May 4, 2011

Tommy, I'm not Johanna, but I used to work with her, and I am currently going through the process of applying for the Navy's CRNA program at UHUHS. I am also prior enlisted (I left as a CTI3). So here's how it works. As Johanna says, once you get to your first duty station, you'll be placed where you're most needed - for me, it was Mother Baby Unit, but I have seen others assigned to Psych, MedSurg, even Labor and Delivery. You'll spend your first 12-18 months there getting your nursing skills up to speed and learning time management. After that, if you're lucky and have advocated for yourself, you can usually get transferred to the area you prefer to work, whether it's ICU, PACU, ED, whatever.

Prerequisites for Nurse Anesthesia are: Statistics (if you haven't taken it as part of your undergrad - I think you have to have taken it within 5 years of applying for USUHS), college level biochemistry (also within five years), a minimum of 1000 combined on the GRE, acceptance to USUHS, and three letters of recommendation (one of them must be from a Navy CRNA). You must have at least a 3.0 GPA from your undergrad, and a minimum of one year experience (although two is preferred) in acute nursing care.

The people who I have known who have gotten commissioned after having civilian nursing experience have gotten some credit for their nursing experience in terms of rank - one person I knew only had 6 months experience working as an RN (with her BSN - this is important), but the Navy allowed her to promote to O2 after 18 months instead of the 2 years it takes someone with no experience. However, if you work as an RN with an ADN, the Navy does not give you credit for that time.

Hope this helps. :)