Introducing Myself

[1HOTTSHOT]

First off, This is a great website. I have found some great information on it and even some entertainment.

Im a student just finishing my my prereqs this semester. Its kind of goofy saying your majoring in nursing when your not even taking any nursing classes. lol. I decided i wanted to be a nurse about a year ago. The first time i initiated an IV i knew i wanted to be in the medical field. I was thinking of being a paramedic, because of the "fast paced" nature of it, but decided to be an RN and hopefully work in an ER. I agree with what a lot of people have said in this forum before about the pros and cons of being a "male nurse" I laughed for a good minute when i read a comment "we get the sex change with the degree"

Anyways, im on here to hopefully get some valuable insight from other students and RNs. I always have been a believer that people in a simlilar field can learn a lot through communication with others.

I would like to give everyone here some background information about myself. Im 20 years old, and have spent the last 10 years of my life trying to decide what i want to do for the next 40 years of my life. I am in the military, a reservist, my army job is being a mechanic, something i do as a hobby, but never could do it fourty hours a week for the rest of eternity. I am dedicating myself to school, i never thought i would see the day i tell friends i dont want to hang out because i have to study. : P

I do have some questions however about incorporating my current life with nursing.

1. Has anyone here ever worked with a nurse that was also currently serving as a reservist?

Would any problems arise if they had to take Military leave for 12 to 16 months for a deployment?

2. Anyone ever known of "discrmination" against the hiring of Military members because of the possibility of having to take a leave? I understand there are laws against it, but it does happen everyday still. Im currently unemployed because my former employer told me, "You'll probably "have" to leave again in a year, and that causes strain on the rest of the crew" and they chose not to rehire me. I didnt pursue any legal action against them, i still have family that works there and didnt want to cause any problems, but i am on unemployment, and its definetly helping me school.

3. I know that plenty of hospitals have "No Smoking" on hospital property, will being a smoker cause me any difficulty in getting hired? I know that i will have to give it up during shifts and such, which i have no problem doing.

I know I will have more questions in the future. I look forward to being a contributing member to the site. Thanks to all in advance for any responses to my questions.

[ItsTheDude]

1. well there's laws to protect u, but it's not always smooth. the biggest problems are family related (divorce, adultery, kids, etc) when you're gone for so long, not the job.

2. basically the same as #1 above, laws to protect you, but they aren't always followed, like any law.

3. it could, depends on where you get a job (state, facility, etc). i've seen people get canned after numerous warnings that they smelled like a cigarette. some patients/residents/family are allergic and/or offended when someone that is caring for them smells like a cigarette.

[DirtyBlackSocks]

1. Legally an employer cannot deny you a job when you come back from deployment. You should be clear with them from the start that you are part of the reserves, if you are - though. Alternatively you can apply for an MOS change to 68B (I think it's 68B now, it was 91W when I was a medic). I would try and get into a job working at one of the VA's or on a military base. As a Combat Medic in the Army you get to do a lot of stuff that RN's can't. I'm not aware of what other MOS exist outside of the Army - if you're Navy it's corpsmen which is fairly extensive training.

2. Employers can do as they please when it comes to discrimination. I'd rather they be straight forward with why the no hire than lie about it, but expect it to happen. This is another reason to apply at government run operations - it bumps you to the top of the list. You may even be able to get a job on your nearest base as a nurse. Either way, you know what it means to be a soldier - sacrifices are part of the deal.

3. Do not disclose any personal information such as smoking, taking medications, medical history, ect. unless you are disabled. These are all things to discuss after you've been hired, and you have no obligation to reveal that information in an interview. That being said, if you smoke you're going to die, and if you plan on getting into the medical field it's a good idea to quit. I had a hard time quitting and switched to dip while I was in the military.

Thanks for serving.

EDIT: Being an RN would actually bump you to 68BM6 because of the ASI the RN cert. carries. I don't know if you'd have to challenge any of the courses involved at Ft. Sam Houston to get that MOS/ASI, and being a Combat Medic means A LOT of deployments. On the plus side, you can get jobs in any local base or VA hospital while you're still enlisted which can potentially lead to a job at the same place as a civilian once you ETS.