Interested in Becoming a Navy Nurse, Many Questions!

taylorxteddy · May 30, 2013

Hello everyone! I've been piddling on these forums for a few months now reading varying bits of advice, pros/cons of becoming a navy nurse, competitiveness of getting in, etc, but I still have a few unanswered questions that I'd like to post here. I've been nervous to post because I didn't want to be that forum punk that asks already answered questions, so I hope that isn't the case.

This is something that is very intriguing to me. I feel like the Navy will push me, and I am the kind of person that LOVES a challenge and hard work. Also, I love the opportunities to be involved in humanitarian efforts, travel, and go where "needed".

However, here's the issue that makes my situation a little bit unique: My fiance is also interested in joining. Not sure if there's anyone out there who are married Naval nurses, but any advice from anyone is helpful. We're still wondering how and even if this would work out or be a good decision for us. No true way to know, I suppose.

We're both pretty flexible people, and really just want the most we can get out of our career and lives before we decide to have children and whatnot, we're just clueless about what we're getting ourselves into except what we've been reading (well, that and the fact that almost my entire family has been enlisted personnel at some point, but that is obviously a world of difference). We would like to join by FY 2015 as we get married next year.

Here's some basic facts:

-I'm a brand new BSN graduate fwho takes NCLEX in 10 days (yikes!)

-He's currently an ADN enrolled in an accredited transition to BSN program and will be done in roughly a year

-I start a job in two weeks in Labor and Delivery at a well-known hospital...

-He currently works for a mid-sized hospital in ICU, though he wants to transfer to NICU

-Our GPAs suck: My overall is a 3.57, but my nursing GPA is a 3.18; his overall is a 3.50 and nursing GPA is a 3.0. I read about a lot of 3.8+ GPAs on here.

-I have extensive leadership and organizational involvement on my resume, have tutored the past 4 years, plus I have great references. I'm only 22 so my work experience is limited, and I didn't work much during college.

-He doesn't feel he has an impressive resume. Limited involvement in leadership because he worked a lot prior to nursing school and then nursing school was a really tough run for him. He'd really like to know how to change this.

From everything I'm reading it doesn't sound like either of us has good chances of getting in. I'm in the wrong specialty (not ICU), he's lacking leadership demonstration, and our GPAs aren't great, but this is something that both of us really want to experience and be a part of, so help there, please? :)

Also, what GPAs do they consider? Nursing or overall?

Any advice to our situation would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the lengthy post! I'm type-happy.