Current State of Navy Nursing Recruiting

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Hello,

I'm being told by Navy recruiters in my area that there are no active duty billets for RNs. None, period. Understanding things could change in the new FY, anyone have a recent experience in becoming a Navy nurse? Specifically, if you have little to no work experience, and were not picked up via the Nurse Candidate program. The recruiters I've talked to explained to me that the Navy draws all of their active duty RNs from the Nurse Candidate program, but that seems kind of unusual to me (but I'm prior Army, so....). Then they began to direct me towards the Reserves (which I don't want). Please advise.

hi so is it better to start out at med/surg? i was told by my recruiter that I should be looking for critical care job as Navy not taking med/surg in recent years. Also for a new grad, what is your advice on how to go about in trying to get in? thank you so much for your help

hi so is it better to start out at med/surg? i was told by my recruiter that I should be looking for critical care job as Navy not taking med/surg in recent years. Also for a new grad, what is your advice on how to go about in trying to get in? thank you so much for your help

I think it depends on what's best for you. I think most RNs should start in med-surg and branch out form there. But when I was in school a good portion of my classmates knew they wanted critical care and did externships in ICU. They were all brought on after graduation. I know of a couple people who did 2 years of med-surg and then APRN. It all worked out for them. It depends on your needs.

If you are determined to join the Navy then, yeah, see what they have need of. Once you get in you can apply for different programs or move into different areas the Navy has needs in. Just a word of caution: military medicine is a whole different world than civilian medicine and you may or may not like that.

thank you for your response SnakeEyes, I'm very determined to get into the Navy Nursing Corp however it is depressing as with the current market for a new grad it is very hard to get experience especially true where I am as it is very saturated. I'm applying every where but nothing came up yet. I figure it would take me a few years to get into the Navy. Just want to get an idea of the right path I should take to get into the Navy. Anyone with experience getting into the Navy with no experience and as a new grad wants to share their experience would greatly be appreciated. Any advise/suggestion/comments from anyone is also greatly appreciated. Thank you

thank you for your response SnakeEyes, I'm very determined to get into the Navy Nursing Corp however it is depressing as with the current market for a new grad it is very hard to get experience especially true where I am as it is very saturated. I'm applying every where but nothing came up yet. I figure it would take me a few years to get into the Navy. Just want to get an idea of the right path I should take to get into the Navy. Anyone with experience getting into the Navy with no experience and as a new grad wants to share their experience would greatly be appreciated. Any advise/suggestion/comments from anyone is also greatly appreciated. Thank you

Hang in there. I did 21 years and know from experience that it's "peaks and valleys" as far as recruiting goes. The Navy can be overmanned for a few years and then it will be undermanned. I've seen it with civilian nursing, too. The economy has a lot to do with it but sometimes you'll have droves of retirements one year and things will open up.

thank you SnakeEyes for your comment. I hope the economy picks up and more jobs open up for new grads.

does the navy need psyche RN? I got a job offer at a psych hospital but I want to make sure that I can get into the navy with psych experience. thank you for your help

I would keep in contact with your local Navy Medical Recruiter because they can give you an up-to-date listing of the Nurse Corps needs. Historically, there has been a need for ER, ICU, L&D, and Mental Health nurses. I understand all the service are being particularly selective about any nurses they recruit. Additionally, certain specialties (mostly advanced practice) receive ISP bonuses. Mental Health nurses have received this bonus, too. If you are serious about the Navy, I recommend you get your experience and also get certified. That way you would be eligible for ISP after you get commissioned.

I was told that ER wasn't needed as much since it is contracted to civilians. Also once you're accepted into the navy, can you switch specialty? Psych isn't what I want to be but it is so hard to find a job that I'm taking the job to get into the navy. is this a wise move? or should I just wait until I find a nursing job that I'm interested in like ICU and go from there? thanks

I was told that ER wasn't needed as much since it is contracted to civilians. Also once you're accepted into the navy, can you switch specialty? Psych isn't what I want to be but it is so hard to find a job that I'm taking the job to get into the navy. is this a wise move? or should I just wait until I find a nursing job that I'm interested in like ICU and go from there? thanks

Ok, you should only speak to an officer recruiter, specifically a medical programs officer. If we replaced all our ER nurses we would have to hire a ton of civilians and they would also have to be able to deploy to everywhere we deploy at anytime, meet our physical fitness standards, etc...and that will never happen. There are many areas of nursing where our staff is complimented with civilian staff but replacing a whole specialty is not likely unless we started closing down our Medical Treatment Facilities.

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