Civilian RN interested in working at military hospital

Published Sep 9, 2012

3,364 Posts

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I am always trying to consider my options and I'm thinking about applying to a military hospital, most specifically Darnall at Fort Hood, TX. I have my BSN and I currently work on a progressive care unit (ICU stepdown). I am current with BLS and ACLS and I am currently pursuing my PCCN certification which I hope to have by the end of this year. I have over a year of experience in my specialty. I was looking at usajobs.gov and there are vacancies at Fort Hood with the salary ranging from $47,448-$105,897/yr and series & grade ranging from GS-0610 - 09/12. What can I expect my GS to be with my experience? I currently make roughly $31/hr with $35/hr being my OT rate so I'm hoping the pay would be similar. From what I hear, Darnall's ICU is a lot like the stepdown unit I work on now so I am hoping I could get an ICU position there.

If I get an interview, what can I expect? Does Darnall (or the Army) do 12 hour shifts? Do they offer night shift differentials? How does Darnall compare to other hospitals in the area? What are the weekend requirements like and is there a set schedule or do they do self-scheduling? Would I qualify for military spouse preference?

I am not unhappy at my current place of employment but I manage to get a position at Darnall, I plan on going PRN at my current job. Although I do take care of military family members and veterans at my current job, I want to do more. I want to work with soldiers. I also feel like securing a position at a military hospital now may benefit me in the future in case we PCS to a duty station that doesn't have a lot of potential choices for me to work. The benefits would be nice, too!

If anybody here works or has worked at Darnall, I would love to hear about your experience. Please PM me!

Thanks, everyone!