Any Navy Hospital Corpsman out there?

rollingstone · Mar 3, 2004

Rollingstone...Did you become a nurse after you got out of the Navy? Did you become an RN or LVN? Honestly, I love that fact that California allows us HM's to become LVN's with out going through civilian college. I would love to go back to school and become an RN, but it is just not the best time. I need to work right now and school will have to be on the back burner for now. I have to kick myself for not going to school while in the Navy. I certainly had the time, no excuses, just not interested. Now that I am a civilian, I really regret not going to school. I was in the Navy for Eleven years and worked in a clinic for seven years. I could have easily taken classes after work. Well, not much I can do about it now right. I am glad to hear from so many Corpsman, makes me feel not so alone on here...:)

Discharged from Navy in '82 and graduated from nursing school in '92. Had several jobs in between, but Hm really was the seed that led to RN. Sometimes I think that if I would've stayed in the Navy for 20 years I could've retired by now. But after four WestPacs I was ready for something different. Good Luck to you.

ABH65,CRNA · Mar 3, 2004

Hats off to the Navy corpsmen!!!

I was a Navy Nurse 1966-1968 (active duty) . There was a special draft for male RN's in 1966, 200 for the Navy and 600 for the Army, I was over the draft age but that made no difference. I am proud to have done duty with many fine corpsmen, many who went to Naum and many who didn't return.

Glad to see that HM's are going into Nursing, I used the GI Bill to finish anesthesia school, married and 2 kids, you guys can do it too!!!

Dale

rollingstone · Mar 3, 2004

Hats off to the Navy corpsmen!!!
I was a Navy Nurse 1966-1968 (active duty) . There was a special draft for male RN's in 1966, 200 for the Navy and 600 for the Army, I was over the draft age but that made no difference. I am proud to have done duty with many fine corpsmen, many who went to Naum and many who didn't return.
Glad to see that HM's are going into Nursing, I used the GI Bill to finish anesthesia school, married and 2 kids, you guys can do it too!!!
Dale

Dale, nice to hear from another Michigander. Are you in Marquette?? I used to work in Petoskey, but have been travelling now for a year. I'm currently in Tucson and plan to be in Kalamazoo for spring/summer.

opie29 · Mar 3, 2004

I was just wondering if any Navy Hospital Corpsman were on this site. I just got out of the Navy and have passed my NCLEX-PN exam. I would love to talk to any current or former HMs that have passed their test, and what they are up now.
LDSHAW

Hey, everyone I am glad to see that the Navy blood never leaves. I was in the Navy for only 2 years. I was medically discharged and was not able to keep my Rate do to my injury. But I have been an E.M.T for 10 years and I was able to use it a lot when I was in the Navy. As a matter of fact I was born and raised in Auburn, Ca; Auburn is only about a 45 min drive from Sac. I know LPN'S are used a lot around there. I was able to work as a MA with my EMT lic. in the ICU and float over to the ER a lot, and there were at least 3-5 LPN'S in each dept. Now the VA is paying for me to go to LPN school here in Seattle were I have been living for almost a year. My last Duty station was Bethseda; MD and I was around HM'S all day. Man HM'S sure now how to party.

DAVE

NurseRatchet26 · Mar 3, 2004

Ex- Corpman here, current Navy Wife to a Nuke MM. So its like I never left the Navy:)

Trauma Columnist · Mar 3, 2004

Idshaw - regrets are always there. I too wished I had gone to school while in the military. However, I didn't want to, so I didn't.

RollingStone - You and I were in during the same time - late 70's. Man, can you believe that was 30 years ago???!!! Had my oldest son while I was in the Navy!

rollingstone · Mar 4, 2004

Idshaw - regrets are always there. I too wished I had gone to school while in the military. However, I didn't want to, so I didn't.
RollingStone - You and I were in during the same time - late 70's. Man, can you believe that was 30 years ago???!!! Had my oldest son while I was in the Navy!

traumaRUs-Time flies!! And I remember in Field Medical Service School one of my instructors, SSgt Cruz, said, "Gentlemen, the next war will be over oil." In light of current events and the recent past it seems he was right.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Mar 4, 2004

Ok, ok, all you Bravozulus !!!

AIR FORCE here !!! :chair:

Air Force medical corpsman early seventies... YES THIRTY SOME YEARS AGO !!! AF Reserves air evac med tech after that. Also what led to FINALLY persuing my RN, many moons later. As in graduated last year ! :chuckle

HOWEVER, not to hijack your thread... my son was just sworn into the Navy and goes to bootcamp the first week of August !

rollingstone · Mar 4, 2004

Welcome jnette and congrats on your graduation!

ldshaw · Mar 7, 2004

Ok, ok, all you Bravozulus !!!
AIR FORCE here !!! :chair:
Air Force medical corpsman early seventies... YES THIRTY SOME YEARS AGO !!! AF Reserves air evac med tech after that. Also what led to FINALLY persuing my RN, many moons later. As in graduated last year ! :chuckle
HOWEVER, not to hijack your thread... my son was just sworn into the Navy and goes to bootcamp the first week of August !

Just out of curiosity, does your son know what he wants to do after boot camp? I made the biggest mistake when I joined in 1992, in not picking out a school right away. I was a non designated seaman for two years then went on to Hospital Corps scool. I really feel like I wasted that first two years. They made it sound so great (hehehe), but how terrible it was. I cut grass and painted the CO's fence. In order to go to HM school, I needed 90 hours On the job training. Of course my LPO would not let me go during working hours (too many lawns to cut), so I had to work in Medical during my lunch break. It took me forever! SO to make a long story short, picking out a school when you join is the way to go. I hope he does well and makes the best out it.

Ldshaw

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Mar 7, 2004

Just out of curiosity, does your son know what he wants to do after boot camp? I made the biggest mistake when I joined in 1992, in not picking out a school right away. I was a non designated seaman for two years then went on to Hospital Corps scool. I really feel like I wasted that first two years. They made it sound so great (hehehe), but how terrible it was. I cut grass and painted the CO's fence. In order to go to HM school, I needed 90 hours On the job training. Of course my LPO would not let me go during working hours (too many lawns to cut), so I had to work in Medical during my lunch break. It took me forever! SO to make a long story short, picking out a school when you join is the way to go. I hope he does well and makes the best out it.
Ldshaw

Thanx so much. Actually, we are hoping he can avoid this very thing. He wants to be a diver.. salvage /rescue diver.

When he signed up, they didn't have any ratings which really spoke to him, and he didn't want to get "locked in" to something he wouldn't enjoy. So he opted to wait 'til either in bootcamp or right thereafter to narrow it down. He was told he could make his choice at that time still.

To be a diver, he can choose from only so many ratings... and the only one that he would consider is gunnersmate. With that rating he could go on into the diver program, even the "Nightdippers" rescue swimmers if he wanted to. Boatswain of course is the other, but we know that one is waaaaaaaay too vague, and he'd end up being litle more than a gopher and paintchipper.

I've been desparately tring to find someone to give us some tips on how best to lead him in the right directiuon and avoid the pitfalls you mention.

Rather than tie up this thread, please pm me, lots of questions yet ! Thanx so much for any input you can share ! :)

Kora0880, BSN, RN · Mar 7, 2004

HELLO,

great to hear from so many of the Navy Coprsmen!I was wandering if you could tell us how was it working with the navy nurses, how would you describe the relationship from your point of view and any insights on what the Rn could have done to make it a better experience for you. . .thank you