Enlisting in reserves while in school

[dingus]

Would it be a good or bad idea to enlist in the reserves while in school? I found out I have a good solid four years of schooling left because of wait lists, transfer requirements, wait list for transfer requirements, and not wanting to take out high interest loans for private schools. My ultimate goal is to commission as a nurse in the future but I would like to have a bit of experience with the military beforehand. I'm in my mid twenties so I am way too old for ROTC, which led me to thinking about enlisting in the reserves for the experience. My top choices for enlisting reserves wise are the Air Force or the Navy.

Pros and cons I considered

Pros

-BMT counts as PE upon completion ( Yay a transfer requirement)

-Reserves comes with some benefits

-Only one weekend a month.. under normal circumstances

-It kinda looks good on a resume?

-I get a small glimpse of military proceedings

Cons

-The two weeks (maybe more?) of the active rotation might cut into a major final (are the reservists allow to sign up for when their two weeks will be?)

-If some how a major war breaks out reservists may get deployed.

-The commitment time over shoots the time it takes me to finish my BSN or become FQ material which means a four to six years commitment is okay with me but no longer.

I am not afraid of being deployed but my major concerns are my grades suffering, having to prolong my process of obtaining a BSN, and then becoming too old to commission as a nurse. To me the pros look like they out weigh the cons. What do you guys think? Is it a viable idea or is it too much wistful thinking?

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I'm in my mid twenties so I am way too old for ROTC

Says who? I think you need to investigate that again. In this time of personnel and budget cuts, ROTC is probably the best (but still not guaranteed) pathway to military nursing for new graduates.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

A lot of people do it. Experience-wise, being an enlisted med-tech in the Air Force (at least) gives you about the same training as a combo EMT-B and CNA II; I know that they are currently trying to get techs trained on medication administration. Some states allow them to challenge the LPN boards.

As far as getting them to pay for your BSN, I'm not sure how the reserves handle the tuition assistance program. I know on active duty they pay $250 per semester credit up to $4500 annually. Typically, you aren't eligible for the GI bill until you've finished your first enlistment (4 years). There is a retroactive loan repayment program available for direct commission healthcare officers (in the AF it's called the Active Duty Health Professions Loan Repayment Program).

Just make sure you're not thinking of commissioning while you are enlisted. There are programs for that, but I wouldn't count on them. Plan on doing your time, separating, and direct-commissioning later.

One last thought: you are eligible for a higher initial officer pay rate (O1E) if you have at least 4 years and 1 day of prior enlisted service. You can google the difference between O1 and O1E pay and run the numbers for yourself. You might consider doing the 6 year enlistment, since you start as an E3 (not that you wouldn't anyway with your college credit) and get the extra years of service.

[dingus]

Thank you so much for the info Pixie, I was able to find this

U.S. Military Education: ROTC Age Limit

I am actually turning 26 the beginning of next month and is still in a community college working on a psychiatric technician license, it's equivalent to a Lvn/Lpn in California when completed. I will it use to bridge into an ADN program and then transfer to a state college for a BSN. I am unsure about joining ROTC because I feel like it's too late for me since I might be over 30 by the time I complete my BSN. However if there is a chance I guess it wouldn't hurt to speak with the reps in the crosstown colleges.

[dingus]

A lot of people do it. Experience-wise, being an enlisted med-tech in the Air Force (at least) gives you about the same training as a combo EMT-B and CNA II; I know that they are currently trying to get techs trained on medication administration. Some states allow them to challenge the LPN boards.

As far as getting them to pay for your BSN, I'm not sure how the reserves handle the tuition assistance program. I know on active duty they pay $250 per semester credit up to $4500 annually. Typically, you aren't eligible for the GI bill until you've finished your first enlistment (4 years). There is a retroactive loan repayment program available for direct commission healthcare officers (in the AF it's called the Active Duty Health Professions Loan Repayment Program).

Just make sure you're not thinking of commissioning while you are enlisted. There are programs for that, but I wouldn't count on them. Plan on doing your time, separating, and direct-commissioning later.

One last thought: you are eligible for a higher initial officer pay rate (O1E) if you have at least 4 years and 1 day of prior enlisted service. You can google the difference between O1 and O1E pay and run the numbers for yourself. You might consider doing the 6 year enlistment, since you start as an E3 (not that you wouldn't anyway with your college credit) and get the extra years of service.

I am very grateful for your insight jfratian. It clarified some confusion I have. It's situational, but I don't plan on enlisting in the reserves until I am closer to completing my current program which will happen next summer, after that I will likely have to take half a year off school for training purposes. I am not looking at the reserves to pay for schooling, my ultimate goal is still to commission as active duty, I think it will be a very rewarding career and not just for financial purposes. Thank you for letting me know about the Emt-b possibility, it sounds exciting, I'll definitely give the reserves some more thought.