Clarification on BSN Requirment for Military Nurse

Mslecia20 · Sep 6, 2012

They will commission you but not as a nurse. You must have your BSN in nursing in order to be a military nurse. You can go to OCS but you will not be a nurse you will be an officer in whatever field they need officers at the time

SycamoreGuy · Sep 7, 2012

The army reserve will commission you with an AS but you have to get your BSN by the time you make captain.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2012

The army reserve will commission you with an AS but you have to get your BSN by the time you make captain.

Not anymore, it still might be on the website at Goarmy.com. Because of the drawdown only BSN nurses are being accepted in the Army active or reserve. Also, if you are a ADN who came in the reserves before this change you have to complete your BSN to be promoted to Major.

amoLucia · Sep 7, 2012

I've known ADN-RNs who were corpsmen (medics ?). NOT NURSES and not officers. Am civilian here; don't know the technical stuff so I thank you for the info.

And thank you for your service.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2012

At one time the Army Reserve took in ADN-RN's as officers. In the Navy they use to have a Warant Officer program for ADN-RN's but discontinued it in the late 80's early 90's. I also use to be a HM1(FMF) in the Naval Reserves as ADN-RN until I picked up my commission in the Army Reserves. Once I completed my BSN went on active duty.

lindarn · Sep 7, 2012

The Air Force is now the same. They also used to commission ADNs and Diploma grads, but not anymore. You HAVE to have your BSN to be comissioned.

There is a nurse in my reserve unit who had to go in as enlisted. She is working on her BSN, but got married, had a baby, and I think that her education is on hold. She is a very experienced critical care nurse, and works in a very high acuity critical care unit in a state hospital. And she is still enlisted.

The good old days are over, folks. The tide in turning.

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2012

Also, the experince level has increased. At one time a new grad could get a commission, now in the Army you need 2 years of experince to go active unless you went thru an Army funded program like ROTC, ACEP etc.

lindarn · Sep 7, 2012

I was at Madigan last year, and the med surg floors had all new grad active duty nures. They went into the Army, as opposed to the AF or Navy, because they were the only services to be taking in anyone, even experienced nurses. They were just grateful to have a job, because so many of their classmates could not get jobs, even the BSNs. The nurse who I was working with was set to deploy to Afghanistan later on that year.

It is tight all over.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2012

Was the nurse a new grad? I know the Army is trying not to deploy new nurses until they have a least one year of clinical experience. As you see the experience has tightened up from FY11 accessions to FY12/13 accessions.