Does anyone know anything about Army Nurse Corps?

FST6 · Oct 22, 2009

I have been in the Army Reserve for the last 14 years. During that time I have been an LPN and RN. I will list the pros and cons I have encountered along the way:

PROS:

1. No other nursing experience like this in the world. The humble pride that comes from caring for our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen is unlike anything I have experienced in my civilian career.

2. Excellent training opportunities that you get paid to attend (TNCC, ABLS, nursing conferences, etc.)

3. Student loan repayment and accession bonuses.

4. Traveling around the world (could be a con for some).

5. Learning what you are truly capable of under extreme stress.

6. Strong sense of teamwork and brother/sisterhood with your fellow soldiers. My best friends come from the military.

7. Chance to learn and apply leadership skills in a variety of settings.

8. Gaining the confidence in yourself to know you can handle anything thrown at you.

CONS:

1. Deployments will take you away from home for a long time. 12 months can feel like an eternity when you are in Afghanistan,Iraq, or anywhere you have been sent to.

2. What you see in war will break your heart.

3. The Army is a big green inefficient machine that will frustrate you to no end at times. All you can do is take it as it comes.

4. Once you sign the dotted line, the military owns you. You will do what they want when they want you to do it. Even in the Reserves I have been hit with last minute "You will be at this course in a week" situations. Part of the commitment that comes with being a soldier.

Those are just a few thoughts off the top of my head. I'm sure other military nurses will share their perspectives as well. Bottom line, I don't regret joining the military or any of the experiences I've had along the way. Even my wartime deployments have helped make me a stronger nurse and better soldier. If you can accept the fact that there are hardships required in order to care for our military members, you will never have trouble with any branch of service. Thank you for your interest and I hope you decide to join up. Take care.

LeLeeFNP · Oct 22, 2009

FST6,

Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this information. It sounds like a wonderful experience. I see that your backround is ICU and trauma. That is the field that I would like to go into. I have some ICU experience, but not much. My only issue is that I have a husband and two small children. The military freaks my husband out but I think it will bring wonderful benefits for all of us. At any point did you feel like you were in danger? What is it like for a person who wants to join that does have a family? I sent off to get a packet of info and I have a recruiter that has been e-mailing me but I just wanted to get some basic opinions from people who have or are going through it so that I don't have to feel pressured ya know. I hope you are able to answer some of my questions and it would be great if other military nurses would share theirs as well. Again thank you very much for sharing. I am definately going to continue to seek out more info and am still very interested.

parfum · Oct 22, 2009

have they upped the max age for admission to the ANC/Res again? by the rate i'm going, it's going to take me ages to get where i want to be (CRNA)

FST6 · Oct 24, 2009

FST6,
At any point did you feel like you were in danger? What is it like for a person who wants to join that does have a family? .

Yes, there were times I was in danger in Afghanistan. We went through rocket attacks and when I left the base on missions, I never knew if I was going to hit an IED or not. You learn to deal with it. In some ways, the dangers are no worse than everyday life. They are only more obvious. More people die from traffic accidents than soldiers that die from injuries sustained in war. It's all part of the hardships required to be a military nurse. But even those moments were nothing compared to what our war fighters experience when they are fighting the Taliban head on. In all honesty, I don't think I had it that bad. As for the family situation, it could be tough. If you do not come from a military background, joining up could be very stressful on your loved ones in the beginning. It's an adjustment. They will have to get used to you being gone on drill weekends, 2 weeks of annual training in the summer, and even possibly gone for a year on a deployment. Basically, when you join the military, your whole family joins as well, whether they want to or not. Your experiences will have an impact on them as well. If done correctly, your family will view your decision as a desire to help serve our country and care for our wounded. If you do not communicate your passions properly, your family may view your choice as reckless and unsafe. Take the time to explain fully why you want to wear the uniform and even go to war if needed. You should also take the time to think about that yourself. Joining the military is a huge commitment that cannot be taken back once you are in. I'm not trying to scare you away. Far from it. I just want you to make this decision knowing both sides of the fence. I would love more than anything to see more nurses join the fight and help my fellow Army nurses and me take care of the troops. We are the guardians of the injured and could use some extra help if you are up for the challenge. Take care.