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I have posted before about looking into the Army Reserves and am almost finished with my application. Today my recruiter told me that he would process me as a Med/Surg nurse. I explained to him that I have never set foot on a Med/Surg unit as an RN and have only worked in the ER my whole career. He stated he would find me a Critical Care Nurse position in the reserves but I would not be eligible for any loan repayment options. Has anyone heard of this before? I thought ER and other specialties were in demand and would be eligible for extra incentives to include loan repayment. If I was to go in as a Med/Surg nurse would I be able to transfer in to an ER role in the future? Would doing this negate my initial contract and cause me to incur a penalty of sorts? Thanks for any info.
I just started the process last week, and my recruiter told me that there are no incentives for ER nurses this year. No bonus cash for me!
This could be something to do with 66HM5 & 66H8A being converted to a 66T and they just might not be taking any M5's or 8A's in at this time. At one time I was a straight 66H in the reserves and applied for my M5 and got it. When you are a M5 or a 8A you are considered a med/surg nurse (66H) with a skill indentifier(SI) of either a ER nurse or ICU nurse. If you turn the 66H down now the chance for you getting in later will be if not impossible.
Ask the recruiter what is going on with the 66T nurse. Also, before I became a M5 I was assigned to the EMT section of 2 different Combat Support Hospitals. Most reserve units are still going use your skills. Even if you are a M5 or 8A you can still be assigned to work on a med/surg floor since you are still a 66H.
NickG, MSN, APRN
64 Posts
I have posted before about looking into the Army Reserves and am almost finished with my application. Today my recruiter told me that he would process me as a Med/Surg nurse. I explained to him that I have never set foot on a Med/Surg unit as an RN and have only worked in the ER my whole career. He stated he would find me a Critical Care Nurse position in the reserves but I would not be eligible for any loan repayment options. Has anyone heard of this before? I thought ER and other specialties were in demand and would be eligible for extra incentives to include loan repayment. If I was to go in as a Med/Surg nurse would I be able to transfer in to an ER role in the future? Would doing this negate my initial contract and cause me to incur a penalty of sorts? Thanks for any info.