Help! I want to join the Army Nurse Corps

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Hi, I want to join the nurse corps. I've really been looking into the army. I think I've mostly been looking into the army because I have friends who serve in the army, not as nurses though. I must say I really admire everything they do and what they have given up. I'm currently 22. I'll be 23 when I graduate. I'm a junior in a BSN program at Nebraska Methodist College. I'll graduate in may of 2015. I was wondering if anyone knew for sure if I could join straight out of school? I have heard some people say you need experience first. Is this true? I would want to join as active duty. Does anyone have any advice about joining the nurse corps or life as a military nurse? Also does anyone have any suggestions on what I should be doing now if anything to start the process? Does anyone have any opinions on other branches of the military and how I would go into nursing for those?

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

The first thing you need to do is contact a healthcare recruiter not the local enlisted recruiter. You can find the contact info at glad my.com and look under the officer tab. Their response time is very slow since they do not have to recruit many nurse's. Yes you do need experience to join the Army, have heard that it's 2 years but not 100% sure since I have not spoken to a recruiter for a long time, only the info on this site. It is a good idea to speak with the Navy and Air Force to see which of the 3 services will be the best fit for you.

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You need 2 years to direct commission into active duty and even with 2 years your chances are very small right now. Contact a local AMEDD recruiter

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

This link is a good intro.

https://allnurses.com/government-military-nursing/military-nursing-885815.html

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Specializes in ICU.

The requirements are always changing. I know right now both the active duty and reserve components want experienced nurses but next year, they may accept new grads. Just contact a healthcare recruiter when you are a couple of semesters away. Or, ROTC might now might be an option for you now. Also, the National Guard may take new grads in your state. Check with their healthcare recruiter too. Be aware that all 3 components (active, reserve, and guard) will have their own healthcare recruiter.

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.

Air Force still has a new grad BSN program. I would ask why you are set on Army or if you just want to serve. I did 3 years prior enlisted as army and I'm very proud of my army background. I'm an active AF nurse now. I work at a combined military hospital right along with my army cohorts. Deployments and the mission is different from service to service. AF would get you in as a new grad (if you are competitive) and you can always change to army or navy later on (after a mountain of paperwork of course).

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ROTC is no longer an option for her because of her grad date. Army is full up on new grads and I hear AF and Navy are looking the same.

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