Joining national guard

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Any Idea of what an RN with an associates degree would be doing in the military as an enlisted? I was wondering because if I will still most likely have to do the training classes for my military skill even though I have an RN license it would be a waste. I could be earning my bachelors instead of that. I was hoping I could join the reserves and luckily not get deployed until I got my bachelors. Was looking for a stepping stone before I transitioned to an officer.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Check out AN's Government / Military Nursing forum for info.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Is this before or after your MSN/DNP?

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Nothing, you need a BSN. You could join as a medic/68W then try and transfer over when you get your BSN but it's competitive.

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before my MSN. Way before. I intend to get my MSN and DNP while serving in the military. I am hoping to use the gi bill, but I was going to use that after I paid for classes myself for a year. I think I will use the military as a career.

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before my MSN. Way before. I intend to get my MSN and DNP while serving in the military. I am hoping to use the gi bill, but I was going to use that after I paid for classes myself for a year. I think I will use the military as a career.

I remember you asking about this on another thread but I'm pretty sure you were told that you need to have a Bachelor degree in nursing before you can get a military spot, and someone else just told you that here as well. Maybe you haven't been back to that thread?

You won't be joining the military as an RN with an Associate degree. What else do you have in mind?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

We moved this thread to our Military Nursing forum for more replies.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
before my MSN. Way before. I intend to get my MSN and DNP while serving in the military. I am hoping to use the gi bill, but I was going to use that after I paid for classes myself for a year. I think I will use the military as a career.

Get your BSN, then revisit your desire to serve. The military is very competitive, you don't just sign up. You have to be selected to commission, which is a long and competitive (did I mention competitive yet? Lol) process. And what you are able to do as far as post-graduate education while in the Army will be dictated by the needs of the Army, not necessarily what you desire. It is possible to obtain a non-clinical MSN on active duty outside of applying to the Long Term Health Education and Training (LTHET) program where you are selected via a competitive process to attend a DNP program on the Army's dime with time owed on the back end, but please don't think you'd be able to do a clinical MSN (FNP, for example) in your off time — you won't have enough off time, trust me.

Again, BSN first. Anything before that is moot.

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My post say what can an RN with an associates degree in the military do as an enlisted. Not an officer. I was hoping I would not have to train for so many weeks to get a job skill in the reserves. After basic training is a specialty skill, but I wanted to serve in the reserves while I finish my bachelors for 2 years.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
My post say what can an RN with an associates degree in the military do as an enlisted. Not an officer. I was hoping I would not have to train for so many weeks to get a job skill in the reserves. After basic training is a specialty skill, but I wanted to serve in the reserves while I finish my bachelors for 2 years.

You aren't qualified to be a medic because it is different training and you would have to go through basic and AIT if you even got into that MOS (overstrength so no guarantees). You don't qualify as a flight medic because you aren't a paramedic. You don't qualify as a radiology tech or a lab tech or any other enlisted medical specialty. You don't qualify as a 68C because you have an RN license, not LPN. So basically you could do whichever enlisted job you choose, or is chosen for you — but you will have to attend basic and AIT.

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

I get the sense that you would join as an enlisted medic and expect some sort of advantage or deference due to your RN license. Other than a slight pay bump (probably E-4), I think you will be extremely disappointed when you find that you are expected to do the same thing as everybody else.

Why not just work as an RN and do a 12-month RN to BSN online program...then apply as an officer? Many hospitals pay for part of it.

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Just a thought, do you already have your RN? If not, does your state allow RN students to challenge the LPN NCLEX after so many semesters, or with the addition of an extra course? That way you could try to join the Army as an LPN. (don't know about National Guard)

Not sure how this would be worth it though, when ADN - BSN conversions are quick, cheap and plentiful, if you do your homework on which one to take.

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