How will my day and life routines go?

just_cause, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2008

Holly,

Congrats on the upcoming graduation!

Here is a blog from a student-2-ArmyRN that I was browsing over... From what I recall reading elsewhere having 15x 12hr shifts a month was common. I also recall that rotating between days and nights occurs at intervals - perhaps like every 5 or 6 weeks. Aside from your normal 'working' day in the Army there will be periodic training events where you keep your Soldier skills up: marksmanship, chemical, professional development... Travel will really depend on the unit. Most units have block leave time periods (like many business' do) where that time period is when everyone will use or not use their accumulated leave dates.... other smaller trips are normally worked out at that unit level and can often be accomodated for. I think having the small dog cared for will be something you'd have to arrange with your new neigbhors.

I mainly wanted to ask your opinion on the 6 months in the reserve prior to the Army?

In my humble opinion this would be a huge pain in the butt and I don't understand the benefit.

By immediately joining the Army you are also eligible for a larger repayment or bonus...

I do not see any benefit from joining the reserves for 6 months...unless you are a US Army reserve recruiter. The Army has transition courses that have the entire goal of taking civilians and turning them into Army nurses. These courses are normally exciting for all people involved and I think you should take advantage of this - or at least really look at the pro's vs con's.

v/r

Care&Joy · Sep 9, 2008

I'll cut & paste a response that was from my duplicate post for more info....

....I've been an RN since 2002, & am now trying to finish getting my actual BSN...which is taking a darn long time , ha. I should be done by the end of this month with that.

I've mainly worked in the Med/Surg field since 2002. I did about a year of home health, and then I went back into Med/Surg again with my current job, which then led me to becoming a house supervisor for over a year, along with a Med/Surg charge nurse position. I am now juuuussstttt starting to get my feet wet with emergency room nursing & will be orienting to that for the next few weeks, as that is what I truly want to be doing. I was hoping when I joined the Army that I could get into their 16 week ER training program.

I guess, in addition to seeing the Reserves-side-of-things for experience sake (as I was told would be a good thing by active duty nurses), I was a little afraid to jump into the military life full force until I really knew the answers as to what I would be committing to and what kind of life would give me the most fulfillment in serving others. My recruiter for the past 2 1/2 years has been for the Reserves, so I guess I have not been greatly informed about active duty life in what I would be doing on a day to day basis & what area they would put me in with my experience (besides what I've asked from other active nurses).

And while I was almost sure that I would carry normal nursing shifts as a military nurse, I was told in Active duty I would be working something like 60+ hours a week because as a soldier we would do normal nursing shifts in addition to performing other soldier duties (training, education, adminstration, among other routine duties one would do in the military), & that is mainly what has made me wonder what kind of minute-to-minute, day-to-day life I will live from waking to sleeping as an active duty Army nurse & what kind of family/hobby/introspective time I may have in addition to that. Does that make sense? ha, confusing at times I know . Any other input? Thanks so much! Holly

Care&Joy · Sep 9, 2008

Holly,
Congrats on the upcoming graduation!
Here is a blog from a student-2-ArmyRN that I was browsing over... From what I recall reading elsewhere having 15x 12hr shifts a month was common. I also recall that rotating between days and nights occurs at intervals - perhaps like every 5 or 6 weeks. Aside from your normal 'working' day in the Army there will be periodic training events where you keep your Soldier skills up: marksmanship, chemical, professional development... Travel will really depend on the unit. Most units have block leave time periods (like many business' do) where that time period is when everyone will use or not use their accumulated leave dates.... other smaller trips are normally worked out at that unit level and can often be accomodated for. I think having the small dog cared for will be something you'd have to arrange with your new neigbhors.
I mainly wanted to ask your opinion on the 6 months in the reserve prior to the Army?
In my humble opinion this would be a huge pain in the butt and I don't understand the benefit.
By immediately joining the Army you are also eligible for a larger repayment or bonus...
I do not see any benefit from joining the reserves for 6 months...unless you are a US Army reserve recruiter. The Army has transition courses that have the entire goal of taking civilians and turning them into Army nurses. These courses are normally exciting for all people involved and I think you should take advantage of this - or at least really look at the pro's vs con's.
v/r

Thanks, Just-Cause, I really, really appreciate your answers. :up: As you well know, this is a big commitment, and I really want to be prepared on all levels...including what personal life I'll have -in addition to nursing work. Even though my recruiter has been Reserves all this time, it seems the more I compare the training and life of Reserves vs Active, I've been a little envious about the length and depth of training I've read about for Active, vs the few weeks of Reserves. I feel I really would enjoy going Active right away, and then yet that ol' fearful feeling kicks in telling me that I would be jumping and committing to the "unknown" full time & afraid it wouldn't be me. And yet, at the same time, Army Active feels so "me".... So, basically -besides the other advice I've gotten-...the fear of the unknown about Active's specifics is what has been prompting me to join Reserves first. I am not afraid of hard work, and I am ready to serve my country and others who need me, but it's that I don't want to be caught unaware & then regret my committment. Make sense?

AUGH! ha ha :cool:

Thank you for the help! :rolleyes:

just_cause, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2008

Care&Joy, Thanks for planning to serve!

Do you live near a military installation?

If so I highly recommend 'shadowing' a military nurse for a day. Even if it is an AF nurse or Navy nurse you will get the general idea of things... If your recruiter is a Reserve recruiter ask to shadow an active reserve nurse or a reservist during a weekend drill.

I can totally understand the apprehension and know that it is a dramatic unknown change in lifestyle.

I would also look at the option in your reserve unit to go active duty and at what point you are obligated to serve prior to making the transition to active army, should you choose to transition.

In many respects being a reservist might even seem more 'busy' as a full time active duty nurse you gradually learn your associated tasks and what not.

I am biast and think active duty nursing would be a great place to be

I'm just coming off of active duty combat arms in the Army and imagine nursing as a great place to be.

(also - perhaps call an active duty AMEDD recruiter in your area... explain your situation and apprehension..he/she will get you a day on post and ability to observe..and he/she is most likely a nurse prior to their short term recruiting stint~

v/r

68Wife-RN · Sep 9, 2008

Holly,
Congrats on the upcoming graduation!
Here is a blog from a student-2-ArmyRN that I was browsing over... From what I recall reading elsewhere having 15x 12hr shifts a month was common. I also recall that rotating between days and nights occurs at intervals - perhaps like every 5 or 6 weeks. Aside from your normal 'working' day in the Army there will be periodic training events where you keep your Soldier skills up: marksmanship, chemical, professional development... Travel will really depend on the unit. Most units have block leave time periods (like many business' do) where that time period is when everyone will use or not use their accumulated leave dates.... other smaller trips are normally worked out at that unit level and can often be accomodated for. I think having the small dog cared for will be something you'd have to arrange with your new neigbhors.
I mainly wanted to ask your opinion on the 6 months in the reserve prior to the Army?
In my humble opinion this would be a huge pain in the butt and I don't understand the benefit.
By immediately joining the Army you are also eligible for a larger repayment or bonus...
I do not see any benefit from joining the reserves for 6 months...unless you are a US Army reserve recruiter. The Army has transition courses that have the entire goal of taking civilians and turning them into Army nurses. These courses are normally exciting for all people involved and I think you should take advantage of this - or at least really look at the pro's vs con's.
v/r

Thanks, Just-Cause, I really, really appreciate your answers. As you well know, this is a big commitment, and I really want to be prepared on all levels...including what personal life I'll have -in addition to nursing work. Even though my recruiter has been Reserves all this time, it seems the more I compare the training and life of Reserves vs Active, I've been a little envious about the length and depth of training I've read about for Active, vs the few weeks of Reserves. I feel I really would enjoy going Active right away, and then yet that ol' fearful feeling kicks in telling me that I would be jumping and committing to the "unknown" full time & afraid it wouldn't be me. And yet, at the same time, Army Active feels so "me".... So, basically -besides the other advice I've gotten-...the fear of the unknown about Active's specifics is what has been prompting me to join Reserves first. I am not afraid of hard work, and I am ready to serve my country and others who need me, but it's that I don't want to be caught unaware & then regret my committment. Make sense?
AUGH! ha ha
Thank you for the help!

Hi Holly,

Congrats on your soon to be BSN! I think you are getting a little too scared of joining Active Duty! While on AD you still have a life!! As a nurse there are many different types of units you can be assigned to. If you are in a hospital depending on what section you may work a 12 to 15 hour shift, that is normal but don't forget in between there you have an 1 1/2 lunch usually from 11:30 to 13:00 or when you get free. Most nurses in the hospital do not do company PT that means you will do PT on your own and it is your responsibility to stay physically fit. Work call at most hospitals is 0700 to 0730 when the clinics open unless you are in ER, Med-Surg, etc. Most clinics close at 1600 to 1630 so that is usually when the day will end depending on what floor or if there is a meeting. The rest of the evening is yours to do as you please. While you are in a hospital you will be on PROFIST (not sure of spelling) but it means you will be assigned to a deploying unit and if and when they deploy if they need you, you will go on deployment with them and return to your hospital upon return. This may be a year or 6 mth deployment.

If you are in a CSH, your day to day activities will not be anywhere as busy accept in the mornings for sick call and so on. CSH units usually deploy for 1 year.

Please remember all because you join the reserves it won't make your life any easier in the Army. Reserves are under an enormous strain right now so that AD soldiers (that is what you are first in the Army) can have more down time at home. I think you should get information from various nurses that have been assigned to various types of units and work in different sections.

We are currently stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, a training base so there are a lot of basic training soldiers here, plus family members. It is not a big hospital but they do have a newspaper that you can view online. Google Ft. Leonard Wood/MANSCEN and click on the healthcare tab. You can read a little about what goes on in an Army hospital.

I hope I haven't been to wordy, but if you have any questions let me know. :yeah: :yawn:

Care&Joy · Sep 9, 2008

Hi Holly,
Congrats on your soon to be BSN! I think you are getting a little too scared of joining Active Duty! While on AD you still have a life!! As a nurse there are many different types of units you can be assigned to. If you are in a hospital depending on what section you may work a 12 to 15 hour shift, that is normal but don't forget in between there you have an 1 1/2 lunch usually from 11:30 to 13:00 or when you get free. Most nurses in the hospital do not do company PT that means you will do PT on your own and it is your responsibility to stay physically fit. Work call at most hospitals is 0700 to 0730 when the clinics open unless you are in ER, Med-Surg, etc. Most clinics close at 1600 to 1630 so that is usually when the day will end depending on what floor or if there is a meeting. The rest of the evening is yours to do as you please. While you are in a hospital you will be on PROFIST (not sure of spelling) but it means you will be assigned to a deploying unit and if and when they deploy if they need you, you will go on deployment with them and return to your hospital upon return. This may be a year or 6 mth deployment.
If you are in a CSH, your day to day activities will not be anywhere as busy accept in the mornings for sick call and so on. CSH units usually deploy for 1 year.
Please remember all because you join the reserves it won't make your life any easier in the Army. Reserves are under an enormous strain right now so that AD soldiers (that is what you are first in the Army) can have more down time at home. I think you should get information from various nurses that have been assigned to various types of units and work in different sections.
We are currently stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, a training base so there are a lot of basic training soldiers here, plus family members. It is not a big hospital but they do have a newspaper that you can view online. Google Ft. Leonard Wood/MANSCEN and click on the healthcare tab. You can read a little about what goes on in an Army hospital.
I hope I haven't been to wordy, but if you have any questions let me know.

WORDY is EXACTLY what I'm needing, girl...Uncle Sam wants YOU to answer my questions, ha. :bowingpur I love it. Thanks for hitting the bulls-eye in what I mean as minute-to-minute & day-to-day. You all are such a great help to me. It's in the community, and in knowing we're a team who can be there for eachother in the military, that helps each and one of us along.

I live in Roswell, New Mexico, by NMMI, and I've been told if I do Reserves I would work one weekend a month in Albuquerque...and, yet, I keep feeling I'd want to just jump into Active duty. There's nothing else left or keeping me attached in the civilian world -besides me getting to work in the ER at my current job, finally, which is where I've wanted to work for so long; otherwise, I'm single, have no children (besides my adorable, froofy poma-poo dog, ha), and am raring to learn as much as I can in life while I'm helping others.

As for AD, I haven't a clue as to where I would go first unit-wise. I guess that's decided after Officer training...

So, it depends on what post/setting they send you to that decides what actual job you'll be doing? I don't know if I understood correctly :).

68Wife-RN · Sep 9, 2008

Holly, I left you another wordy thread but I somehow deleted it. Anyway, check out some of these blogs two of them are currently going through OBLC.

http://armystrongnursestrong.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

http://sarahandtoddslifeatoblc.blogspot.com/

http://nursebeth.blogspot.com/

http://armynurselife.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html

http://michellearmynurse.blogspot.com/

Miss Mab · Sep 9, 2008

I would also strongly suggest you double check the time and whatever other requirements you'll need to fulfill before they'll allow you to transition to active if it's something simple to do at all. Didn't Athena do something like this?

Just as a reservist myself(AF) I know my unit and command would have been po'ed had I tried to move over after 6 months and I doubt that I'd been allowed to.

I think if active interests you in the way that you say that you should seriously consider doing it up front. Reserve and active are just two different animals and it would be of great benefit to your eventual reserve career were you to get some AC experience first. Reserve first can be done as well, obviously, but your time there will be so much better with some kind of active background, trust me. If I'd had any interest in going active (or if they had my AFSC available right away)I would have definitely done that first.

Good luck in any case!

just_cause, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2008

Care&Joy,

I second MissMab - whom was seconding my motion to look at the process of switching reserve to active

Actually after reading your post and showing your only restriction being a pom-poodle... I say - look into the active duty! My wife and I both went in as new officers (in non-nurse branches) and were still able to have a functional and happy marriage. Previous poster stating the reserves/guard are strained when they deploy as they have to cram a lot of training in - Do not be intimidated by the active lifestyle - if that is your goal... it's a proven recipe of training and trials that is sure to grow you into a competent army nurse and developing leadership traits that will aid you and those you will someday lead. Side note: did you look into active air-force?

Miss Mab · Sep 9, 2008

Care&Joy,
I second MissMab - whom was seconding my motion to look at the process of switching reserve to active
quote]
Yeah, 'cause the word also I inserted into the first sentence was somehow throwing you off?
Too funny....

Care&Joy · Sep 10, 2008

Care&Joy,
I second MissMab - whom was seconding my motion to look at the process of switching reserve to active
Actually after reading your post and showing your only restriction being a pom-poodle... I say - look into the active duty! My wife and I both went in as new officers (in non-nurse branches) and were still able to have a functional and happy marriage. Previous poster stating the reserves/guard are strained when they deploy as they have to cram a lot of training in - Do not be intimidated by the active lifestyle - if that is your goal... it's a proven recipe of training and trials that is sure to grow you into a competent army nurse and developing leadership traits that will aid you and those you will someday lead. Side note: did you look into active air-force?

Thanks for the advice :twocents: . I'm going to have to look up the AD AMEDD recruiter for more info in my region. I don't even know who that is. My recruiter is so great that I feel I would disappoint him in his "catch" after 2 1/2 years of him helping me, getting me through all the packet compilating, meetings, MEPS process (which was an ordeal, let me tell you!...yeah, there's a funny, but accidental, "Leatherman" story that goes with that!),...that's a bummer & I hate doing that . I do understand that I need to do what I need to do for me too though, I just want to make sure I know all the info I need to about AD if I jumped into that & wish my recruiter could get the credit for his hard work.

Personally, with as many life-struggles as I've gone through for a long time when trying to get my life and job in the direction I want, & getting sick of dragging useless "stuff" around, struggling through mud to finish school, dealing with tyrant "managers" & paranoid "landlords", etc, I'm about ready to hand it all over into a structured, simplified (yet complicated I know), focused way of military life that has me working with people who actually care about teamwork, integrity, & patients (not selfishly fighting to beat everyone else down)!

:heartbeat