Clueless New Grad RN interested in Miltary Nursing

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2010

i am a male nurse who graduated this past december (bsn) and passed the ca boards in feb. i'm turning 25 years old in june and i am beginning to explore military nursing due to the lack of new graduate programs/positions out there. i would prefer to remain a civilian, but i just want to get my career started as a nurse. i have had several uncles serve for the marines and air force who at one point or another recommended joining the military. i also remain in decent physical fitness and i understand the other benefits of being in the armed forces: leadership, disciple, and real world experience that can't be beat. so i am really considering the armed forces but i have some questions that i would like answered before i talk to a recruiter.
- what is the pay like? new nurses start out as a o-1 which is 2745/month base pay(taxable), 223 month for bas (food)(non-taxable) & bah (housing, and non-taxable) which varies by region. go to
http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/perdiem/bah.html and put in a zip code for where you would like to be stationed.
- what commitment options are available? 3 years active and 5 years reserve is the most common. you need to speak with a recruiter for the latest options
- what type of training should i expect? your 1st training will be oblc which is 9 weeks long i believe or right around there.
- how is the selection process? fill out the board package, get your security clearance started, physical at meps and letter of references. then you go to the selection board. can be as quick 2-3 months to get everything together to go to the board or a year or longer. from what other posters have stated there are no more selection boards for this fiscal year and the next one will be in october.
- will i have to go overseas? always a possibility
- what branch of the army allows me to stay home the most or closest to home (ca)? where ever there is a army hospital there are nursing slots. if you join ask for the west coast, most new nurses are getting one of their top 3 choices, but not always.
ideally if i can't find a new grad job within the next 6 months i would like to join the military army if i could have a short commitment (
by reading your post i do not know if joining the military would be the right choice for you. it is not like a civilian job where you can quit at almost anytime. most nurses do end up working 40+ hours a week without overtime, shift diff etc. you need to be 100% committed if you join not because there is nothing else.

Cursed Irishman · Mar 10, 2010

Sometimes I wish Allnurses wasn't so strict regarding the TOS, because then I'd write what I really want to, but instead:

If your willing to move with the army, but don't want to be in the army: why not just move somewhere that'll hire you and cut out the middle man? The military will offer a whole lot of heartache if your just doing it to have a job; there are plenty of other options.

As far as joing the Army if you can't find a job in six months, itll take that long just to put the packet together, so plan accordingly.

How do you plan on getting "real world experience that can't be beat" if you don't deploy?

falonzo · Mar 10, 2010

Thanks for the input. I understand what comes along with committing to the military, that's why I have come here seeking as much information as I could. I'd rather come here and get straight answers rather than walk into a recruiters office clueless and blind. That would be like looking to buy a car without doing any research before hand and believing everything the car salesmen said.

If I ultimately decided to go into the military it is because I am fully committed to devoting my time and effort into it. I understand you may not think I am "made for the military" or that I don't have "what it takes" to be in the military due to my questions, but that is for me to decide and that is why I'm coming to you guys for help and information. Who knows, we may come to the same conclusion but at least I will be informed.

Just one other thing... I never said I didn't want to deploy. I'd would just rather not go to Iraq or the Middle East. They could probably send me anywhere else in the world and I'd be fine. If they did send me there, then well I have no choice and I guess I'd have to suck it up and do it.

Cursed Irishman if you feel like the boards are limiting what you can say, then please feel free to shoot me a PM. I'd love to hear you uncensored input.

Like always answers bring about more questions.

- I'm not in the military so what is "OBLC training"?

- 3 years active + 5 years reserve sounds reasonable. The reserve is 1 weekend per month?

- When one does enlist as an army nurse am I more likely to work in the US or overseas? If so are we talking about VA hospitals, hospitals on bases, or something else? If I join the army I would like to work overseas at some point, do I have some input as to where I would go?

Thanks.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2010

First off, let's start you on the right foot with terminology. :0) Officers don't enlist, they commission - start talking to a recruiter about enlisting and you'll be directed to a different type of recruiter. I'm Air Force, but I can answer part of your question - you'd be working at military medical centers (this doesn't include the VA - they're run by the Department of Veteran's Affairs), and at this point they could be Army, Air Force, or Navy medical centers. You'd also be able to work in clinics on Army bases.

hopeful_army_NP · Mar 13, 2010

OBLC or BOLC is the "basic officer leadership course" which is the initial training for the Army. It is 9 weeks, the last 2 weeks is the ANC(army nurse corps) track which includes TNCC(trauma nurse certification). This training takes place in San Antonio. I could PM you some of the blogs from nurses that recently went through the course if you are interested. Best wishes in whatever path you take for your future, thanks for considering the military.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Mar 13, 2010

Sort of a side topic -- do you get to skip part of the last bit of OBLC/BOLC if you have TNCC already? I have a whole bunch of that alphabet soup already! My recruiter mentioned something along those lines, but she wasn't 100% sure.

hopeful_army_NP · Mar 13, 2010

Sort of a side topic -- do you get to skip part of the last bit of OBLC/BOLC if you have TNCC already? I have a whole bunch of that alphabet soup already! My recruiter mentioned something along those lines, but she wasn't 100% sure.

TNCC is a weekend course, possibly you would be able to skip out that weekend, or hang around and help some of those that are new to it:) Trauma is trauma but possibly some military examples may be given in the teaching or something a little different, ofcourse I don't think you would be required to test since you are already certified.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2010

I hate to say this, but if you go in any branch of the military right now, I can almost promise you you'll do your time in the sandbox. You'll go where the war is - and right now, that's where it is. I went three times when I was enlisted during Desert Storm/Northern and Southern Watch, and I fully expect to go now that I'm commissioned.

allnurses Guide · Mar 14, 2010

First off, let's start you on the right foot with terminology. :0) Officers don't enlist, they commission - start talking to a recruiter about enlisting and you'll be directed to a different type of recruiter. I'm Air Force, but I can answer part of your question - you'd be working at military medical centers (this doesn't include the VA - they're run by the Department of Veteran's Affairs), and at this point they could be Army, Air Force, or Navy medical centers. You'd also be able to work in clinics on Army bases.

There are at least a couple of bases that have combined DOD/VA medical centers. Nellis and Elmendorf are the two I know of off the top of my head. Also, I have been loaned out to the VA on one occasion for several months, and some providers actually float between the VA and DOD hospitals that are AD. At Elmendorf the Urologists are shared between three different facilities: the VA, Elmendorf, and the IHS hospital.

falonzo · Mar 15, 2010

Thanks all for the new info.

So as a BSN graduate/RN, I would be applying as an officer to the military?

Also, what type of physical training will be needed? I should be good to go with everything but I am concerned about my swimming.

Is it fair to assume that the facilities, equipment, and technology at the military hospitals is the best available?

Rose3721 · Mar 17, 2010

For the TNCC question from Lunah, you should be able to be excused from TNCC if you already have it. So you'll get a Saturday and Sunday off. It was taught to us by civilians with no military specific traning so I don't think it will be any different for you than if you did it on the outside.