whats it like for a civilian RN working at a Navy Hosp?

Specialties Government

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hey guys,

my little brother is special ops stationed in san diego and after seeing what he and his guys have gone through, i want to be of service to them in some way. i know that sd has a large naval medical center- anyone here worked at it? i am a civilian but have 4 yrs icu experience and 6 overall.

do they accept civilians? is it hard to get a position? what is the dynamic like? i dont know anything about "rank" and stuff, and a military hospital might not be best for me if that is such a huge issue, you know, i may not be military but i know patients and illness and i know it well. i expect to be treated with respect not looked down upon bc i dont have military experience.

that being said i cant think of a better way to honor these men and women than by serving them. and that is the pull for me.:specs:

advice much appreciated!

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i can’t speak for navy hospitals, but as far as army hospitals go (which should be fairly similar) civilian nurses and specialists work alongside their military counterparts in equal numbers. usajobs is the site you need to go to as they list all federal jobs (including civilian openings at military treatment facilities). as for actually working as a nurse in a military hospital i can only speak from a patient’s pov. the civilian nurses that i have meet have all seemed fairly content and competent. don’t worry about the rank structure as long as you know your job and are respectful you will be fine. the only downside about being a civilian nurse in a military hospital is that when they downsize you will be the first to be laid off and right now most openings are for bsn-rns with a minimum of 1 year of experience. good luck!

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Specializes in Psych, Critical Care, ER, Military.

I work on the other side of the county at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. Civilians work alongside military and at times there are more civilians on the floor. Your patients usually don't know which you are. You won't need to worry about rank. At times you will be in staff meetings and they will talk about stuff you don't need to know but they usually excuse civilians. I learn a ton from my civilian counterparts because they are the one's who have been there-the military members come and go as they get re-assigned. We really count on our civilians to be the foundation of the unit.

They do need you because though we are downsizing-we are not downsizing our major medical center but more of combining things into those locations. They always need to have civilians in case military needs to deploy.

I imagine you apply on usajobs.gov. You either work as GS or contractor and I'm not sure what that means. I would call HR (call the 'quaterdeck'/front desk and ask to be transferred) and ask what the options are.

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The difference between GS an Contractor is that as a GS you would be a Department of the Navy (or Army) civilian i.e. hired as a civilian by the navy. As a contractor you are hired by a company who then contracts with the Navy. GS / Department of the Navy Civilians generally have better job stability. Your job would be essentially the same either way.

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thanks guys! Im trying to crack into Balboa!

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