Education and being a nurse in the military questions need answering

GretchRB · Jul 28, 2011

I spent 5 years active duty as an Army Medic/healthcare specialist...and now I'm a civilian RN...hope I can shed some light. :)

First: How was life like enlisted in the military?

Its like any other job, you start out on the bottom and work your way up. You earn respect as you prove yourself, and gain rank. Its grueling sometimes, but its prob the easiest job in the world. They tell you where to be, when to be there, what to wear, and what to do when you get there (for the most part). Don't get me wrong, its challenging and sometimes very hard, but you have NO bills, except for your fun stuff, free medical care, 3 hots and a cot. I loved it, and miss it every day. I learned honor, discipliline, and what it means to respect yourself and others...its hard working in the civilian world after experiencing Army life.

Second: After enlisting in the medical field in the military, did your experience help towards you becoming a nurse and being a nurse?

It helped a lot! I had a 3.5 GPA going into one of the toughest programs (according to nat'l stats) for BSN that is in TX, and they took me b/c of my experience...people see military people as reliable, disciplined, and hard working. The actual experiences helped me with the clinical aspect the most, and critical thinking. It helps me day to day b/c I interacted with so many different cultures while in that its no big deal now if I run into patients that most RNs don't understand b/c of their culture.

Third: I was a below average student in college just made it by to pass. However, will my college degree have any effect on how long I can complete a nursing degree?

I would start off small, with a couple classes a semester...which the military will pay for 100% while you're in (not the GI Bill...thats after discharge). My first college experience right out of highschool I had a 2.5...not the greatest...so I started over with ALL my classes and ended up with a 3.5...so you never know, things change as you get older and can visualize your goals.

I hope this helps!!

CRF250Xpert · Jul 28, 2011

you're going to need A's in all of the prerequisites. I haven't been to nursing school in a while, but when I went - they took your prerequisite GPA, your scince GPA, and your overall GPA into consideration. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you show all A's in science and prereq's it will reflect greatly on your growth since undergrad.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 28, 2011

WCSU1987, was was your degree in? And have you looked at any second-degree BSN programs in your area?

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2011

Not all schools will require to have straight "A's". Most schools will require at least a 3.0 out of a 4.0. It will vary by the school and the demand for the nursing slots. Since you already have a Bachelor degree one option is an accelerated program. Most of these are hard programs. If your end goal is to be a nurse in the military you will need to work hard and get your GPA up. They are one of the few employers who look at your GPA.

just_cause, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2011

I had a previous degree related to something completely different.... had a completely different previous career.. shifted my focus to becoming an RN. I went back to school to complete all pre-reqs and was planning on attending a masters entry level or accelerated bsn program - as it seemed a natural progression... however, I then changed my mind and attended a standard bsn program... which I am SO glad it was the route I took. It was much more cost effective, enabled me to gain experience while working as a nurse technician during school, and in hindsight the shortened time scale would have not be a benefit to be actually learning.. despite finishing a bit earlier. Your results will vary. Yup as JeckRN stated all schools have different methods of looking at applicants. I would spend time to look at the options.. perhaps look around at BSN schools in your state and see HOW the evaluate and rank applicants and see if you stand a good chance.. if not.. look at other options. accel BSN and masters entry level programs are out there.. however I'm VERY 100% glad I took the route I did at this point.