Joining the army nurse corps as a BSN RN

[LucrativeRN]

I have been interested in joining the army nurse corps for the last 10 years and never gave up on this dream. I am now 36 years old, practicing as civilian BSN RN on a med surg/ Telemetry unit. I have a meeting with the army healthcare recruiter next week, and I was wondering if any active duty or reserve RNs can help me on this decision. Is this career choice worth to try? I m interested in specializing in critical care nursing, will the Army nurse corps prepare me well for this role? Is this common to see someone in my age group joining the army nurse corps? Even though the age is 21 - 42 years old for officers, I m still going back and forth with my decision. I need ideas/inputs from anyone knowledgeable in this matter. Sincerely thanks.

[OBigdog26, MSN, RN, NP]

I have been interested in joining the army nurse corps for the last 10 years and never gave up on this dream. I am now 36 years old, practicing as civilian BSN RN on a med surg/ Telemetry unit. I have a meeting with the army healthcare recruiter next week, and I was wondering if any active duty or reserve RNs can help me on this decision. Is this career choice worth to try? I m interested in specializing in critical care nursing, will the Army nurse corps prepare me well for this role? Is this common to see someone in my age group joining the army nurse corps? Even though the age is 21 - 42 years old for officers, I m still going back and forth with my decision. I need ideas/inputs from anyone knowledgeable in this matter. Sincerely thanks.

I'm also interested in joining the army nurse corps. However, I'm prior service. I've been a nurse for about 2 years with ICU and ED experience. Just researching online, I'm probably going to call a healthcare recruiter this week. Good luck.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I was 38 when I commissioned. Don't let your age stop you if this is what you want! Just be aware that the Army is downsizing and being selected to commission into the Army Nurse Corps will continue to be increasingly competitive; however, as an experienced nurse, you have an advantage -- they are taking fewer new grads. The needs of the Army will always come first with regard to what kind of nursing you do, so there is no guarantee that you'll end up in a critical care spot. Best of luck!