Army Reserve Initial Obligation & Incentives

Specialties Government

Published

Hello, nurses.

I've just started following this forum and felt the need to log in and ask clarification with army reserve direct commissioning. I'm loving the military threads. If the other services's procedures extrapolate to my army RC question, please chime in as well.

In my situation, I've been given an incentive and obligation sheet to select from and sign. All of my other paperwork is in. It's really a matter of picking my initial obligation although I realize it's up to "the board" to convene and select me. That hasn't happened yet which makes me think this is premature. Maybe it's not, but it wasn't part of my recruitment process many years ago. (No, I've never been in the military before. I had to pull out of that previous process due to life obligations.)

There's now a 2 (+6) year obligation for direct commissioning, apparently. The 3 & 4 obs still exist. What remains uncertain is the associated incentives.

I have less student loans remaining than the student loan repayment option so that seems like a good way to go, but it's uncertain how the $60,000 is paid out, and apparently my state doesn't tax this so that's cool. Also, I was quoted a commissioning bonus, but how that's paid out is a bit nebulous, e.g. is it total bonus paid out in increments over obligation OR bonus payment every year of obligation. Clearly, if I have the option I want to select the largest $ value.

Should my recruiter know by now what my appointment rank will be, ie captain (O3) with six years experience (maybe 5 as one year was all admin and never heard back on that)?

My initial interest was 3 years as an initial obligation although 2 seems more comfortable psychologically, lol. I've put this process off for several years, but I'm leaving a rather cush group practice that's closing and going to work next week for the U.S. Government in a non-military position, and this department is rather happy to have its employees also be drilling reservists so the time to proceed is now. Carpe diem!

At this point in life, I'm more excited about being an officer in the army than being a nurse in the army although I realize the dichotomy.

Thanks, AN.

In regards to bonus i signed my contract June 21 and at that time it was $15k/yr for a 66S AOC. Prior to commissioning & before I found out about selection in Nov 2017, it was $25k/yr. So just want to put it out there that it is always changing.

When did your bonus get paid....or when will it get paid?

To be honest I don't know when I will receive it. I am still waiting on orders to come through.

To be honest I don't know when I will receive it. I am still waiting on orders to come through.

Keep us posted on the adventure.

I went to a career fair for advance practitioners. There was an army recruiter there and told me of the APMS-nurse corp program. She told me that I could remain in Nashville and would not have to serve in any way or do things like basic training. Basically I would never have to leave Nashville for any reason. I was a graduate nurse practitioner so this sounded very intriguing because of my students loans. She also said that I could work in the hospital or primary care clinic and that my 1 weekend a month commitment could be something as simple as speaking to other NP's about my experience. Does this sound right to anyway. If anyone could please give me any information. That would be greatly appreciated.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I went to a career fair for advance practitioners. There was an army recruiter there and told me of the APMS-nurse corp program. She told me that I could remain in Nashville and would not have to serve in any way or do things like basic training. Basically I would never have to leave Nashville for any reason. I was a graduate nurse practitioner so this sounded very intriguing because of my students loans. She also said that I could work in the hospital or primary care clinic and that my 1 weekend a month commitment could be something as simple as speaking to other NP's about my experience. Does this sound right to anyway. If anyone could please give me any information. That would be greatly appreciated.

If you are serving, you will have to attend the Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) at some point. Members of the service are also subject to deployment. I would definitely investigate what she is telling you.

Actually, he's telling something another recruiter once spoke of to me. It's a program for seriously demanded medical specialties that the reserves needs but allows for them not to attend drill. There are other obligations of course including direct commission course and basic officer leadership course phase II. Reservists also can attend CME and some other things rather than drill. No idea if you get retirement points. With the new retirement plan and lacking any desire to stay on for 20+ years the 50 point good year seems to be nearing irrelevancy. I've heard of a surgeon commissioning to a few years ago to LTC, get a seriously large bonus, attend initial training and CCC and go straight to IRR.

Now, is this pipedream doable for APNs? Maybe. Probably not. It's been hinted at to me although I wouldn't want it. I'll be following the fine print of any contracts myself. Some physicians, certainly. CRNAs seem to do whatever they want. I work with a LTC doc and know a COL doc. Ironically, they're both qualified flight surgeons as well. Both are reservists and one is in the TPMU or something and drills quite differently than the estanlshed norm. The LTC thinks the army is as giving to nurses as it is physicians, lol.

Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

I'm going to call BS on that. I've heard of reservists with pretty slack drill weekend requirements, but you can't predict who your commander will be and how easy going they'll be. You'll never get anyone to put 'doesn't need to do anything for drill weekends' in writing. This recruiter won't be the one signing you in for drill weekends, so there are no gauruntees.

You still are liable to deploy (which would definitely involve leaving your home state).

The new BRS (blended retirement system) still has a 40% of your base pay pension (in addition to your 5+5% matched contributions). That's still way better than any private sector retirement package.

I think he's probably talking about AMEDD Professional Medical Command and got lost in the idealized lifestyle polished by recruiters.

APMC is for medical reservists who aren't in proximity to a drilling site. So they hang out with a non-medical site, or can work at a VA, etc. There are options. I'm not in the army so I can't speak heavily on this. A navy recruiter shared something similar with me many years ago.

+ Add a Comment