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?
- What commitment options are available?
- What type of training should I expect?
- How is the selection process?
- Will I have to go overseas?
- What branch of the army allows me to stay home the most or closest to home (CA)?
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 (
Specializes in Advanced Practice, Home Care, Med-Surg,.
thanks all for the new info.
so as a bsn graduate/rn, i would be applying as an officer to the military?yes
also, what type of physical training will be needed? i should be good to go with everything but i am concerned about my swimming.for the army it would be a 2mile run, situps in 2 min, pushups in 2 min. the # needed to pass is based on age and gender.
is it fair to assume that the facilities, equipment, and technology at the military hospitals is the best available?
Specializes in postpartum, newborn, geriatric/LTC.
falonzo -
I have no specific, helpful information, but what I can offer is moral support
I am in exactly the same position! I am from Northern California (Davis), a new grad (Duke, December 2010), and I am getting so discouraged by the lack of New Grad positions that I am considering the Armed Forces. It's like my apps are getting incinerated by a circle of laughing HR reps, I swear....
I have my moments of crunchy hippie pacifism (I mean, I'm from Davis...), but I feel good about joining in a nursing capacity - I'd be helping to make life a little easier and more comfortable for people who've chosen that difficult life.
Like you, I am also concerned about staying as close to my CA fam/friends as possible.
So... am I right in thinking that once I were commissioned, I wouldn't be able to change jobs (i.e. take a job at a civilian/private hospital) for ~ 8 years? Or am I just indentured to a DOD position for the 3 years of active duty? All the places I'd like to settle would be fairly near a base or DOD hospital, so doing my Reserve commitment wouldn't be a problem.
Last: can anyone give me an idea of any crucial differences between nursing for the Army, Navy or AF in terms of travel, time commitments, type of work...? The variables and decisions involved kind of make my eyes glaze over.
Be forewarned that getting into the military as a nurse is just as competitive as getting a job as a new grad out there. It's no longer a "last resort" but rather a privilege to be selected for a commission. For example, in the AF nurse corps....last year there were 300+ applicants for selected 40+ positions. If you're truly interested, theres a long line in front of you =D
hopeful_army_NP
253 Posts