Is anyone in the navy reserve?

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Specializes in Telemetry.

Hi Navy Nurses :)

Would anyone be willing to take a few minutes to tell me about their experience as a nurse in the navy reserve? I have been interested in joining the navy for a few years, and I still feel the call. Now I think the reserve may suit me better. I have several questions, but the most important to me is this- what do you DO when you drill one weekend a month? When I report for duty each month, I haven't been able to determine what my roles would be. Is it physical training, classroom training? Filling in at a VA clinic for an active-duty RN? I am waiting to hear back from a recruiter, but I would love to get more insight.

Thank you all!

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Specializes in CRITICAL CARE.

Reserves are basically a supplementary force and reservists, at times, have no prior military experience going in. The drills are designed for you to learn the military way. You'll most likely not do anything related to your specialty during drills. You will when you do your 2weeks/year commitment. Drills may be physical training such as doing your physical readiness testing and, yes, classroom learning. Your first annual drill will be at an Officer Development School where you get a crash-course in Navy ways/etiquette as well as your role as an officer. After that your annual training will be in a hospital, hopefully, of your choosing and can volunteer for more than two weeks if you want. You can't get deployed until after two years if your non-prior service.

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I don't know what branch toto is in but since I have been in the NAVY (4 years enlisted) and 5 years as a Officer, it is awesome. I went in the reserves as a 01 fresh out off of my bsn, went to that ODS that toto was talking about and I drill in San Diego, CA during my monthly drill periods. I have also gone to JAPAN for my two weeks that actually was three weeks (at my request). My advice to you if you are considering the NAVY, get EVERYTHING you can out of them, because they are going to milk you for everything you got. What do I mean? I got them to pay a good majority of my student loans back from my BSN, ANDDDDD, as part of my package terms, the NAVY paid for my CRNA school after I gave them a year of ICU time during drill. Drill is morning PT 20 min run, pushups, situps etc..easy easy, then breakfast and report to the hospital or clinic. If you can't make drill for some reason you may request to do it somewhere else (closer) or at another date, just be warned it's like a balance, if you don't do your time at the end of the year the usually tack it on to your two week drill to make up for it, and it goes as a black mark in your service record. As for me being a CRNA, I sit for two maybe three relatively small cases on my daily drill and am usually logging in a typical day... maybe 6-8 hrs. Best of luck to you.... Go for it...you will love it!

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Toto7891, I've been an ER nurse (RN) for 6 years, about to finish my BSN and will be pursuing a navy reserve commissioned position. I have heard that if you volunteer for deployments it might keep you from a longer deployment (if that makes sense). What are some of the lengths of the smaller voluntary deployments? 2 months? 3-4months? What do you do for your drill weekend?

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Specializes in Telemetry.

Thank you both so much !! Very good info. I am gathering my paperwork to see if I am eligible due to a migraine history and I am going to proceed from there. Thanks for your time and thank you for your service !

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Where did you go to anesthesia school? Did you still drill during your CRNA program?

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