Civilian Hospitals vs. Military??

Corvette Guy · Jan 21, 2006

Hi!
I am seriously considering getting my BSN via the Navy, but I've been reading a lot of posts on the regular boards that give me pause. Some of the posts make nursing conditions sound unbearable at best. Understaffing, pay that's a joke, bad attitudes... Is this the same in the military??? I want to work as a team with people who are going to support me and that I can support in return. I'm not into "politics" and stepping on others to get ahead and that sounds like that happens a LOT in civilian nursing.
Please let me know your thoughts on military nursing in general. Is there any particular branch that is "better"? Right now I'm looking at the Navy because of their signup incentives, but are the incentives there because it's an undesirable branch? I just want to be well informed and recruiters are great, but will always put their best foot forward - I want the down and dirty!! :)

IMHO, military nursing is the way to go! I have been an RN since 1998, and a member of the USAR Army Nurse Corps since 2003. I've enjoyed my experiences as a member of the USAR Army Nurse Corps at Brooke Army Medical Center. The doctor - nurse professional relationship seems to be a far better exchange of respect from the MDs, than in civilian nursing. In fact, a nurse can out rank a doctor in the military, therefore nurses are highly regarded in the military.

I see more opportunities for advancement in military nursing compared to civilian nursing, too. Plus it has been my observation patients are not rushed out of the military hospitals as they are in civilian hospitals d/t $$$.

BTW, my opinions are very biased since I've volunteered for active duty with guaranteed first assignment to Madigan Army Medical Center, FT Lewis, WA.

HOOAH!

Jedi_Iatros · Jan 23, 2006

Plus being a soldier, you get to play with interesting military toys like I have the past 10 years.

Nothing like going full battle-rattle with 6 m-4/a2/m249 magazines full of 5.56mm bullets and a platoon of killers with you.

Of course, if your stuck in a sick call clinic, it might get pretty boring fast.

DanznRN, RN · Jan 25, 2006

Been a Navy Nurse since 1997. I actually got out of the Navy in 2003 to "see what it was like," bad move. 11 months later I came back to the Navy and staying. I agree with the above post that the doc/ nurse relationship is very different, I get more respect in the service. As far as pay, there are a lot of unseen allowances that you get as an officer that is above and beyond your pay as a nurse. If you want more specs, let me know.

LT Dan

EricTAMUCC-BSN, BSN, RN · Jan 25, 2006

are you a recruiter?

DanznRN, RN · Jan 25, 2006

Eric-

No, I am not a recruiter. I'm just a normal Navy nurse who loves what he does. Why do you ask?

LT Dan

Corvette Guy · Jan 25, 2006

Eric-
No, I am not a recruiter. I'm just a normal Navy nurse who loves what he does. Why do you ask?
LT Dan

Pssst, its okay... the civilian would not understand. :wink2:

ANC_Maj · Jan 25, 2006

Eric-
No, I am not a recruiter. I'm just a normal Navy nurse who loves what he does. Why do you ask?
LT Dan

I think there are MANY of us out there in the military who feel the same way - we love what we do (and who we do it for)! I also agree with LT Dan, the "taxable" pay that is reflected on our W-2s may not competitive in some markets, but when you factor in the non-taxable allowances and other less quantifiable benefits... Well, there just is no comparison.

ANC_Maj

ckh23, BSN, RN · Jan 25, 2006

Hi!
I am seriously considering getting my BSN via the Navy, but I've been reading a lot of posts on the regular boards that give me pause. Some of the posts make nursing conditions sound unbearable at best. Understaffing, pay that's a joke, bad attitudes... Is this the same in the military??? I want to work as a team with people who are going to support me and that I can support in return. I'm not into "politics" and stepping on others to get ahead and that sounds like that happens a LOT in civilian nursing.
Please let me know your thoughts on military nursing in general. Is there any particular branch that is "better"? Right now I'm looking at the Navy because of their signup incentives, but are the incentives there because it's an undesirable branch? I just want to be well informed and recruiters are great, but will always put their best foot forward - I want the down and dirty!! :)

Make sure you check it out first because you need your BSN to get in as a nurse because your going to be an officer.

Jedi_Iatros · Jan 25, 2006

The food's better at Military Hospitals. Madigan has a pretty good cafeteria located at Ft. Lewis, Washington. Okay, maybe the food isn't that great with all military hospitals (specially Letterman when it was open with the Presidio).

MajorDomo · Feb 2, 2006

What they said. Military nursing is hands down better than civilian, did both. One benefit is that the enlisted personel can do so much more than CNA/Med Techs can do on the outside. You can also gain skills or do procedures that you can't on the outside. If you get sick of bedside nursing you can do clinic for a 2-3 year stint.

The drawbacks are there. A large beuracracy with office people making new rules to justify their jobs. Deployments and all that it entails. Additional duties and meetings (you don't get payed by the hour). Powers trips by Cols. or worse, their wives.

As far as which service is better... In the Medical feild, there is not much of a difference since we are mostly separate from the 'Line" side. And if the what the big boys are talking about comes true, then we will be pretty much interchangable for assignments, no matter which service. Currently, Army deploys longer, Air Force is getting clinic vs acute care based, and Navy...don't know much about Navy except that ship duty is hard to get.

MajorDomo

macanes, BSN, MSN, DNP, CRNA · Feb 7, 2006

Hi!
I am seriously considering getting my BSN via the Navy, but I've been reading a lot of posts on the regular boards that give me pause. Some of the posts make nursing conditions sound unbearable at best. Understaffing, pay that's a joke, bad attitudes... Is this the same in the military??? . . . I just want to be well informed and recruiters are great, but will always put their best foot forward - I want the down and dirty!! :)

As someone who has a LOT of gripes about the way the Army Nurse Corps and the MEDCOM are run, I still wouldn't trade my time in service. I'm out now, but still work as a contract CRNA at an Army hospital -- by preference.

As far as pay and benefits go, once you are a senior captain, you'll be making more than most civilian RNs, unless you go the clipboard/MBA route . . . but then, you wouldn't be a nurse anymore, would you? 8)

Navy sounds great -- don't know much about it. But, DO consider that their posts are all on a beach (mostly), but you might find yourself posted nine months of the year on a carrier in the Indian Ocean. What do you Navy types say about sea duty? How often, etc?

You will get the same in the Army right now. The op tempo is so high that, at least in my (former) AOC 66-F (anesthesia), people are deploying for at least six months out of 18, and I know a few who have been almost every year, in their third deployments since the war.

Enjoy,

Z