JOIN MILITARY & become a nurse? PROS/CONS?

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    Tela

    Tela

    1 Article; 37 Posts

What are some of the pros/cons to using the military as a way of becoming a nurse? Most likely the army or air force.

Anybody out there who has gone the military to nurse route? What was your experience? How many years did it take you? And what committment did you have to make to the military? Would you do it again?

Here's what I can come up with so far:

Pros: 1) Tuition repayment 2) career training and experience 3) some type of housing downpayment? 4) a possible sign-on bonus?

Cons: 1) 3-4 or more yr committment 2) Possible deployment (as a solider or as a nurse? Im not quite sure, but deployment as a nurse...I think I could live with that) 3) Post/base placement may not be ideal 4) Salary (I've been told it's low?)

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Specializes in rehab.

My husband is military, thought about joining as a nurse. Know plenty of nurses. most of what you found out is true (the deployment, the moving, the salary0

There is no down payment on a house. There is rent money given to you every month, according to your rank. You are free to do as you please with this money.

as far as training is concerned, your experience will be limited to a clinic on base or VA, on a ship if you are navy.

You will get better experience working at a State owned poor county hospital where anything goes :D

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are you a nurse already? LPN or RN?

I am neither and talked to a recruiter today and there is a program called 68WM6 which is available to only the reserves. its a 6 year commitment and the training takes about 1 year including basic combat training. (you will be paid while doing so)

after you finish you will be eligible as an LPN. good luck!

btw the reserves are planning not to take anymore recruits because they met their quota for the fiscal year so you better act fast!

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I grew up around a military base and considered joining the navy many moons ago. As my army friends tell me, recruiters will tell you anything to get you to join. You may WANT to be a nurse but there is no guarantee that you will have the opportunity. As a soilder, you have no choices. You can certainly request but just go in eyes wide open if you choose to go that route. If for some reason that you don't get the opportunity to serve as a nurse then you can use your GI Bill to pay for college after you get out. And also, I have had many friends who signed up for 4 years but ended up getting extended by a year or more. You can also be recalled after your time is served. Please don't misunderstand, I love the men and women who serve this country. This country doesn't do them right by them sometimes.

Also: CON- Boot camp!!! It is tough stuff! Plus manditory physical training at least 3 days a week for the rest of your time in the military.

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I can't speak from personal experience, only experience of a couple of friends that were/wanted to be military during nursing school.

Friend A: Deployed twice during nursing school. Took 6-7 years to graduate a BSN program

Friend B: Didn't deploy. They were going to deploy her the LAST semester of nursing school, but she ended up pregnant. Intentional or not, I don't know, but she graduated.

Friend C: Previous military, out during nursing school, wanted back in after nursing school. All in all will take a year after graduation before he is sent to train.

I don't know about the pros and cons that you asked, this is all I know.

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Specializes in Sub-acute, Rehab.
:twocents: I am in a lpn school right now and one of the guys in my class used to be in the army. He wanted to become a nurse but never had the chance or time while in the army. Yes, they would pay for it but you have to do it on your own time which isn't alot. I thought it would be easier and cheaper but after talking to this fella I wouldn't do it. It could take ages to earn a degree like the previous posters friend. Good luck with whatever decision you make.
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Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

Pro: Free

Con: Uncle Sam Owns You

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

[quote=austinurse;program called 68WM6 which is available to only the reserves. its a 6 year commitment and the training takes about 1 year including basic combat training. (you will be paid while doing so)

after you finish you will be eligible as an LPN. good luck!

*** Actually it takes 18 months from the time you ship out to basic until you return to your home unit. You have to do basic, then medic, then LPN school. You will however be superbly trained. After you could come to Wisconsin's technical colleges and be an RN in 9 months.

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There are programs in the Air Force where they will take you off of Active Duty to go to Nursing School. They also offer programs to become a Nurse Practitioner if you so chose. We just had a guy accepted out of my unit (VERY COMPETITIVE) and he leaves this spring for school... If you don't pass the school, you are placed back into active duty at your last rank held and your last career field (AFSC)

Get your degree and then join the military, use the repayment loans that branches offer. You may decide not to join the military after all. I'm leaving the military to go to nursing school with aspirations to become a CRNA.

There are plenty of pro-s and con's to each... and you seem to have a decent understanding. Be careful what you believe from the recruiters... contact your nearest AF base and make an appt to meet w/ a nurse practitioner or RN... eventually they'll have time to sit down and give you the true low down. Everything else is just hearsay!

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to the government and military forum

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are you a nurse already? LPN or RN?

I am neither and talked to a recruiter today and there is a program called 68WM6 which is available to only the reserves. its a 6 year commitment and the training takes about 1 year including basic combat training. (you will be paid while doing so)

after you finish you will be eligible as an LPN. good luck!

btw the reserves are planning not to take anymore recruits because they met their quota for the fiscal year so you better act fast!

This is for ENLISTING, not COMMISSIONING. There are programs - like ROTC - that bypass the whole enlistment thing and commission you when you get out of college.

Be very, very careful when you talk to a recruiter - from ANY branch of the service.

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I grew up around a military base and considered joining the navy many moons ago. As my army friends tell me, recruiters will tell you anything to get you to join. You may WANT to be a nurse but there is no guarantee that you will have the opportunity. As a soilder, you have no choices. You can certainly request but just go in eyes wide open if you choose to go that route. If for some reason that you don't get the opportunity to serve as a nurse then you can use your GI Bill to pay for college after you get out. And also, I have had many friends who signed up for 4 years but ended up getting extended by a year or more. You can also be recalled after your time is served. Please don't misunderstand, I love the men and women who serve this country. This country doesn't do them right by them sometimes.

Also: CON- Boot camp!!! It is tough stuff! Plus manditory physical training at least 3 days a week for the rest of your time in the military.

This all depends on what branch you enter.

The Air Force doesn't do mandatory PT (except for ridiculous "fun runs" you get volun-told to participate in) - you are responsible for passing your PT exam, which now will be every six months.

If you commission as a nurse, you are a nurse, plain and simple. You will do the job you were hired to do. And this is true for any of the branches.

Each branch has different programs to pay for your schooling on the front, or at least help defray the expense. What you want to do is contact a health professions recruiter (you do not want the guy in the mall down the street from you - he/she is an enlisted recruiter; you need a health professions accessions recruiter - all they do is recruit officers in the medical fields) and ask them about each services' options.

You do not want to enlist. Trust me. I'm prior enlisted and it took me four attempts to get a commission.

I only got commissioned after I got out.

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