Direct Commissioning

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 29, 2017

NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brief info:
I am currently Army reservist E4 since 2015. Took RN exam passed 2016. Have a BSN degree from the Philippines and 1 year experience as hospital Med- Surg nurse here in United States.
I'm trying to go Direct Commissioning. I called the Amedd recruiter in the state i lived in as soon as i found out that i passed the NClex-RN. Recruiter said that i need to have at least 6 mos. of hospital experience first prior to application then i could apply for DC even though i had my BSN education in the Philippines (he verified this to the OIC in charge) they said i should be ok as long as i have the months of experience needed. After about having 7 mos. of clinical experience i called the recruiter back, this time they said that I CAN NOT proceed for applying DC due to my BSN was completed from the Philippines.(BTW my education was evaluated by WES before joining the Army as enlisted soldier and it says EQUIVALENT to USA BSN in Nursing). I talked to my commander and 1st Sgt. in my unit about this situation and they are really wanting me to go to DC but i am so confused about the foreign BSN issue that i have at this point.
Any body with same issue? or any info. about this. ? please help i am so helpless at thi point.
Thanks in advance.

Your BSN must have ACEN or CCNE accreditation, and those only apply to US schools. Nothing else is acceptable, I am sorry to tell you. Your alternative is to do an MSN through a CCNE or ACEN accredited program and direct commission at that time. Though I am sure your degree is equivalent, it does not meet the requirements for direct commission. I am sorry that the first recruiting person told you an incorrect tale and got your hopes up.

jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA · Jun 29, 2017

Yes, other foreign grads have tried. I've never heard of one succeeding. My guess is that whatever 'OIC' told you that load of crap was probably some junior O-3 whose only accession/recruitment 'experience' was about 4 years of patient care on a med-surg floor. The enlisted recruiters with recruiting experience often have little knowledge of the medical world. Blind leading the blind...

Are you a U.S. citizen? You can't commission as a nurse without that either.

Who told you to enlist in the reserves in the first place? Even if you did have a BSN from a properly accredited school, it's not exactly easy to direct commission as an enlisted person to begin with. It's far easier to commission as a civilian RN than an enlisted member.

As Pixie said, your only option to commission as a nurse is to get a nursing degree from a properly accredited U.S. nursing school: an MSN makes the most sense (many can be done online in as little as 32 credits). An MSN in informatics, education, or leadership/management would have no clinical hours aside from a capstone project.

nursemacel · Jun 29, 2017

Yes i am naturalized US citizen. And i joined the army as enlisted soldier first before i took the NCLEX RN which eventually i did passed. I was so devastated that they mentioned to me the first time i talked to the recruiter that i could DC as soon as i have at least 6 months of hospital experience. Thanks for you all reply.

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Jul 2, 2017

I agree with Pixie. Get your Masters, which you can do in 2-2.5 years if you are motivated (or less if you are amazing). By then you will have sufficient experience and the right credentials to commission. That will only serve to further your nursing career anyway. Then you will have your MSN pushing your military career, and your military experience pushing your civilian career. It's working for me... Good luck.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 2, 2017

Let me just add: I think the shortest pathway I have seen to MSN is through Western Governors University (WGU) because it's all competency-based and the student really drives the timeline. So if you're motivated, it's worth looking into! Here is the link to the MSN in nursing leadership: Nursing Management | Online Graduate Degree Nursing Management | WGU College of Health Online

The only drawback I can see is that because it's a competency-based program, that translates to pass/fail and that translates to a 3.0 GPA. We all know how the military loves to look at GPA, and I don't know how they consider WGU. But it's an accredited and reputable program.

Good luck!!!

Lupe Sanchez, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2017

Let me just add: I think the shortest pathway I have seen to MSN is through Western Governors University (WGU) because it's all competency-based and the student really drives the timeline. So if you're motivated, it's worth looking into! Here is the link to the MSN in nursing leadership: Nursing Management | Online Graduate Degree Nursing Management | WGU College of Health Online
The only drawback I can see is that because it's a competency-based program, that translates to pass/fail and that translates to a 3.0 GPA. We all know how the military loves to look at GPA, and I don't know how they consider WGU. But it's an accredited and reputable program.
Good luck!!!

I have a question? My program no longer exists but when I graduated it was accredited CCNE would that be an issue?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 9, 2017

I have a question? My program no longer exists but when I graduated it was accredited CCNE would that be an issue?

I have no idea; you would have to ask a recruiter.