Civilian Hospitals vs. Military??

[onesmallspark]

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!! :)

[Corvette Guy]

Oorah... right back atcha devil dogs... I did 6 with the wing and now I'm trading up my Cpl to 1st Lt in USAF.

How do you guys incorporate your medals/ribbons from "the suck" into the Army salad? I never found a way to list the USMC/USN awards into a USAF or USA system (ya know the order of placment thing?). I got a NUC, NAM, GCx2 etc.... I want to wear them but can't find guidance on how they mesh between services.

I had a similar problem with arranging my USMC ribbons & Army ribbons together for a Class A inspection. I solved my problem with assistance from Jana Payton, Super Trooper Customer Service [1-800-633-2282 ext 105]. Give her a call and I'd bet she will have you squared away.

- 1LT ANC & USMC Vet [3rd MAW, VMFAT-101 & VMFP-3]

[Mattatoar]

Wow, thanks man! I thought I'd never get that figured out! Who is this person and how in the world does she know the order?

I'm currently chewing on some info I found about making O-4 and it being a Master's degree requirement in th USAF... freakin WHOA! Maybe its just the jarhead in me, but I smell a rat here... sort of a come on in boys and get comfy cuz yer not gettin farther than Captain... not the lot of ya anyhow!

Isn't that bizarre? I don't recall ever meeting a Jarine Zero with a Masters and beleive me I delt with a hell of a lot of em.

YOUR A WINGER TOO!!! LMAO!! Too funny... Oki, Tustin, Cherry Pit, Cubi Point...

Also, whats is the deal with military healthcare? I remember (as a bachelor, aka young buck) the CHAMPUS thing but now there's these extra parts. Whats up with that? Corvette, you seem to know yer stuff and I see alot of your posts, so I know yer either in the know or you can really spin a yarn.(JK). please PM with any insight you can offer. I have to pass the April USAF (yes, Air Force... don't ask, its hard enough for a real Marine to put on another uniform as it is... I got my reasons) healthcare boards and then I am off... I guess I just want more info so I know I am doing the right thing for me and my family, but some details alarm me and frankly I feel I did my tour in hell already and my debt to democracy is paid. I'm joining for me and my future generation this time and I don't intend on getting a raw deal.

[Corvette Guy]

Wow, thanks man! I thought I'd never get that figured out! Who is this person and how in the world does she know the order?

I'm currently chewing on some info I found about making O-4 and it being a Master's degree requirement in th USAF... freakin WHOA! Maybe its just the jarhead in me, but I smell a rat here... sort of a come on in boys and get comfy cuz yer not gettin farther than Captain... not the lot of ya anyhow!

Isn't that bizarre? I don't recall ever meeting a Jarine Zero with a Masters and beleive me I delt with a hell of a lot of em.

YOUR A WINGER TOO!!! LMAO!! Too funny... Oki, Tustin, Cherry Pit, Cubi Point...

Also, whats is the deal with military healthcare? I remember (as a bachelor, aka young buck) the CHAMPUS thing but now there's these extra parts. Whats up with that? Corvette, you seem to know yer stuff and I see alot of your posts, so I know yer either in the know or you can really spin a yarn.(JK). please PM with any insight you can offer. I have to pass the April USAF (yes, Air Force... don't ask, its hard enough for a real Marine to put on another uniform as it is... I got my reasons) healthcare boards and then I am off... I guess I just want more info so I know I am doing the right thing for me and my family, but some details alarm me and frankly I feel I did my tour in hell already and my debt to democracy is paid. I'm joining for me and my future generation this time and I don't intend on getting a raw deal.

LOL, I went to the Tustin Weight Rm many, many times between 1985-1988 when I was PCS'd to MCAS EL Toro, CA. I was an aircraft electrician [PMOS 6334] & com nav tech [sMOS 6314] on F-4 Phantoms.

Jana Payton is a Customer Rep at SuperTrooper where you can order military goods including dress uniforms and accessories, field uniforms, field accessories, footgear, insignia and awards, plaques and gift items, and name tapes, tags, and dog tags. I've been told the Regs & have some sites saved on the proper wear & placement of ribbons. However, I found it easier to order some Army ribbons from the above website & they provided instructions on the placement of same.

BTW, I replied back to your email. Although, my ignorance of TRICARE left me with very little input on such.

[DanznRN, RN]

Here's what I can tell you about TRICARE from the Navy side, I believe it's all the same, could be wrong, anyway...

TRICARE Prime - all Active Duty and dependents if they wish. BAsically you go to the military hospital for everything and do everything for you. If they don't offer it in your area they have acontract with someone who does what you need, you just don't get to pick the doctor you see, you're assigned.

TRICARE Extra - Dependents only - you can see what specialists you want such as OB/GYN, but your primary care issues are handled by the local military facility. There is a charge for this,but do not remember the numbers. It is very similar to regular insurance for certain things, like 80/20 coverage, and some stuff is completely covered, depends.

TRICARE Standard - dependents only - you pay a fee and go see who you want again like regular insurance with 80/20 coverage.

I have been in for 9 years and this is what I remember of the coverages. I have had my family in Prime all the time also. So far been very happy. There are some details, like what happens when your are traveling away from home, but mostly not a big deal. Hope this helps and remember some of this may have changed.

LT Dan

[Mattatoar]

corvette: i'll definitely look into the super trooper place... my stuff is all stored but i think i need new ribbons and bars to be fresh and sparkley. do you wear your rifle badge? i thought we weren't put them on unless we're current... tustin.... oh ick... ya 4+ years there.... met my first wife... a dancer (see stripper in websters) from sunset blvd out there... el toro was so much nicer... new big barracks built in the early 90's... yes, after you left, of course. i had an apartment in dana point and spent every cent to live next to the ocean... boy, those were the days! what memories! sniff sniff sniff

i'll check email when i get off shift tonight. cannot say how much i appreciate it!

lt dan: so they charge for little extras on your health care... is the $ reasonable? i'm certain my spouse will want to pick her own gyn, so i'll propably pony up the dough for that. otherwise i do the doctoring in the house and rarely need to see anyone and i keep my family well as best i can with the resources i can acquire.

[DanznRN, RN]

Matt-

Again, this is from what I remember, being PRIME for the past 9 years. I believe that it works like this. You pay a set yearly fee to be able to pick the doc, then you have to pay for certain things. Like when my wife was pregnant with our 2nd child, she wanted to use her own GYN. We had to pay like $200 then we had to pay for things like Ultrasound and extra stuff that TRICARE didn't deem necessary. It was still pretty inexpensive. Sorry, I don't have the exact figures, they have a website somewhere. You may want to check that. Good Luck.

LT Dan

[Mattatoar]

Dan,

Thanks, basically I just needed to get a little insight. Exact figures aren't really necesary. I just like to have some expectations for what the process was and if the options have changed since 95'. Knowing what you told me is enough that I won't feel blind-sided (like I did when I joined the USMC). The overall jist is it isn't all free healthcare unless you waive your right to make alot of decisions about your doctor and all that... at least it sounds cheaper than the HMO and PPO I have had in the past.... like I said, besides the GYN and an occasional pediatric flair up; I handle everything for my family one way or another if you know what I mean.

Tell me why did you go Army? Do you have to get your Masters degree before you can go for 0-4?

Matt

[Corvette Guy]

Dan,

Thanks, basically I just needed to get a little insight. Exact figures aren't really necesary. I just like to have some expectations for what the process was and if the options have changed since 95'. Knowing what you told me is enough that I won't feel blind-sided (like I did when I joined the USMC). The overall jist is it isn't all free healthcare unless you waive your right to make alot of decisions about your doctor and all that... at least it sounds cheaper than the HMO and PPO I have had in the past.... like I said, besides the GYN and an occasional pediatric flair up; I handle everything for my family one way or another if you know what I mean.

Tell me why did you go Army? Do you have to get your Masters degree before you can go for 0-4?

Matt

Hey Marine Vet Matt,

LOL, LT Dan is Navy, not Army. Plus, he keeps thinking I'm USAF, yet I'm Army. :chuckle

BTW, I sent you an email via AOL, yet have not received a reply?

[Mattatoar]

Corvette, oops, duh! See what happens when you type while intubating a patient! Okay, so then my question about the Army goes to you. What made you choose that branch and do you need a Masters to see 0-4?

I plan on getting mine but it seems like the USAF will be prompting me to get it sooner than I had originally planned. Or I can stay frozen at 0-3... I was stuck at E3 for a long time and my resentment is still quite fresh (my MOS was closed for like 4 years!).

Email arrived at home according to the boss, I'll check it tonight. thanks again, and sorry bout the branch thing... I imagine you can't be very sensitive about that, having changed from one to the other. It just seems like most former jarheads go Navy; even NCO's transfer to make rank faster in the USN.

[DanznRN, RN]

Matt-

Vette Man is right, I am Navy and yes I keep saying he is AF for some reason when I know he's Army. Anyway, at least in the Navy, there is an unwritten rule that you need to be at least working on your Master's to get to 04. Again, that is an unwritten rule, but it is still an expectation. I'm up for 04 this summer and the Navy is sending me for my Master's to start in the Fall, so technically I should be O.K.

LT Dan

[ANC_Maj]

I can't speak for the AF or USN, but for the Army Nurse Corps, a Master's degree is a promotion discriminator for LTC/O-5, not MAJ/O-4. So, in other words you needs a MSN/MBA/MA, etc to be fully competitive for that promotion in addition to completing what used to be called Command and General Staff College (CGSC), now Intermediate Level Education (ILE).

For what it's worth, I've been an ANC officer for ~11 years and love it! Wouldn't change a thing! Go Army! Not just because I'm biased, but because the education opportunities are more plentiful and the career advancement/promotion timeline is faster.

ANC_MAJ

[Mattatoar]

Huh, well alrighty THEN!!!

So the next question is how likely is it that the USN, USA, or USAF will facilitate you're going back to school? I seem to remember golden flowered promises of being paid to go to school fulltime and how the DoD was gonna take care of me.... of course they failed to mention the odds were more likely I'd struck by lightening on a solar eclipse with the winning lottery ticket in hand.

So, what I wonder is this: is there a good percentage of folks that apply to get back in school for their Masters that actually get a package or is it a low percentage? (make sense to anybody yet?)

I suspected there differences between branches and I see that is correct... now to get an AF RN to chime in, I'll have the whole puzzle solved.