Current State of Navy Nursing Recruiting

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2015

oh, and the good thing about the Reserves is that you can go work at the VA or get another federal employee nurse position (FEMA, prison system, Indian Health, work on base, etc) and then get TWO retirements!

Plus you get to double dip when you are doing your 2 weeks active duty every year. You get 21 days of paid military leave every year.

SnakeEyes · Apr 4, 2015

I was told all of this also BUT that they do not need med/surg nurses currently. Apparently, NPs count as med surg nurses even though they are doing NP work. This is effecting slots. Kind of strange. Currently, the Reserves is in dire need of OR nurses and offering loan repayment. I don't remember how many the recruiter told me they need but if they don't fill the slots in the November 2015 board, they will have another one in March 2016. I'm a med/surg nurse but trying to switch to OR. I've applied for an internship through my hospital system and waiting to hear back. I'll barely make the 90 day cutoff for experience so may miss the November board. Worst case scenario I have to do a 2016 board. A nurse coworker is in the Navy Reserves and he loves it.

Keep in mind that Navy OR nurses DO NOT EVER SCRUB--they only circulate. The surgical techs are responsible for scrubbing the cases with the surgeons. Our surgical techs are enlisted medical personnel (Hospital Corpsmen). You may want to check out the Army or Air Force if you are interested in scrubbing cases. It's ridiculous but that's how the Navy does it. And Navy preoperative nurses get the Incentive Special Pay (ISP)...a specialty bonus.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2015

For the most part in the Army perioperative nurse's do not scrub. It makes economical sense to have enlisted scrub techs vs nurse's scrub in. It's a whole lot cheaper to pay a E-4 vs O-2 to scrub in.

tacomaster · Apr 4, 2015

Thanks SnakeEyes. Are you currently serving? I didn't realize that. So if I get an OR nursing position and then do Reserves, I'll only do some of what I would do as a civilian? Am I understanding that correctly?

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2015

Thanks SnakeEyes. Are you currently serving? I didn't realize that. So if I get an OR nursing position and then do Reserves, I'll only do some of what I would do as a civilian? Am I understanding that correctly?

If you are talking about scrubing cases even in the civilian world nurses do not scrub in a lot. On higher acuity cases RN's scrub in but on a simple hernia the hospital is going to want to pay $15/hr for a tech vs $30/hr for a RN.

inthepipeline, LPN · Apr 5, 2015

In the Army Guard/ Reserves you can commission as a nursing officer with an ASN but won't make captain without a BSN. Also in the Army (all components) you can be an enlisted LPN.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Apr 5, 2015

In the Army Guard/ Reserves you can commission as a nursing officer with an ASN but won't make captain without a BSN. Also in the Army (all components) you can be an enlisted LPN.

This might still be accurate for the National Guard (though it is no longer specifically mentioned on their site, which makes me wonder), but you definitely need a BSN for the Reserves now to be selected. That changed a couple of years ago.

SnakeEyes · Apr 5, 2015

Thanks SnakeEyes. Are you currently serving? I didn't realize that. So if I get an OR nursing position and then do Reserves, I'll only do some of what I would do as a civilian? Am I understanding that correctly?

You will be expected to do different things like overseeing the administration of the enlisted personnel, heading CSR, training, managing equipment and budgets, scheduling, etc. The surgeons will train the surg techs in the specific procedures of the different cases. The nurse would be overall in charge of a service. The only reason you would ever scrub a case is if the enemy somehow takes out all the surg techs. Believe me, the surgeons do not want nurses to scrub in with them. They know the scrub techs know what they are doing (unless you were a First Assist or civilian peri-op nurse with experience). You might see if your medical recruiter can get you in to talk with one of the senior Navy preoperative nurses in your area for a sit-down.

BTW: I am a retired Nurse Corps Officer

tacomaster · Apr 5, 2015

My only experience in the OR was during nursing school. I did two clinical days in surgery. That being said, I really have no idea what "scrubbing in" or "circulating" mean. I applied for an OR internship through our hospital system and it includes the OR and also being trained in PACU. Thanks for all of your help and information. I spoke with a healthcare recruiter but they can't really help me until I get the OR nurse job and have 90 days of work experience.

OR_RN_2016 · Apr 6, 2015

Good Evening,

I am currently a in a BSN program which will be finishing up in a little over a year. I am currently working as a surgical tech while I am school too. I will have 5 years experience as a certified surgical tech once I am finished with my BSN program. I am beginning the process of filling out the paper work for the navy with a recruiter this month and was wondering if my 5 years of experience in the operating room could potentially help me land a position in the operating room in the navy as a nurse. I understand that it will not help with rank but I was hoping someone might know if it the experience would help me to stay in the operating room if I were selected for the Navy. Thanks guys and gals.

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2015

Not to start, all the services want their nurse to work med-surg and have a taste of other areas before they go to a specialty. You never there might be an area of nursing you never thought you would like but might end up loving it.

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Apr 6, 2015

Yep, unless you have RN OR experience before you join, you'll be doing med-surg for the first few years.