Looking to the military and ABSN

[thebird36, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Hello,

I'm 20 years old and currently a student going for a bachelors in exercise science. I'm doing this program for the pre-reqs for accelerated nursing. I would like to go active duty right into the Army if possible. I've been looking and reading through some of the threads and see ROTC as an option. I also have been reading that ROTC and ABSN is a nightmare with the amount of work. I technically already have a few semesters of ROTC under my belt because I was in it here at my current school and recently left. My current school does not have a nursing program. I also read about joining the national guard and then going for the ABSN, but would that still require me 2 years of experience for active duty? I could probably live with the ROTC and ABSN if I have to because of my determination for the military. I know ROTC can get you through without the 2 years of prior experience, which is what I would like to do.

I look forward to your replies! And thank you in advance.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Active duty isn't guaranteed for those who do ROTC - many ROTC grads will go into the Reserves. Going from Guard to active is also difficult. The Army is overstrength when it comes to nurses. If you really want to be active duty, your best bet is probably getting a couple of years of experience and applying for direct commission. I don't believe an ABSN program would go well with the demands of ROTC as ABSN programs tend to be intense.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Why not look at another school or program? I think you would be better off with the standard 24 month BS to BSN program if you had to do ROTC at the same time. Those 14-month accelerated programs are really tough. Other branches (Navy and AF) do take limited numbers of direct commission new grads (without experience).

[thebird36, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

EDIT: didn't read thoroughly, oops. I guess a 24 month program could be easier, since I will have pre-reqs done. I'm hoping I'll be able to get a job for 2 years for experience, I was hoping military could be the experience and I would go civi after that or stay in and serve longer. If I were to leave for civi I would go get my ACNP.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Yeah, actually good critical care experience is very hard to get in the military in general. If you aren't deployed, your patients are way less sick than they are at even a small civilian community hospital. Only a few military hospitals (Walter Reed, San Antonio, Wright Patterson) are even tertiary care facilities. None of them compare to quaternary care facilities, like Duke, Hopkins, and the Cleveland Clinic.

Plus, people who enter with no experience almost always are forced to do med-surg at first.

[thebird36, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

is med/surg really that bad though?

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Well, that depends on you. If you're hoping to be a acute care NP, I think med-surg will be an unnecessary detour. You get a good foundation in med-surg, but the military really goes out of their way to make it hard to switch specialties. For the Air Force, you have to go to a 1 year fellowship for ICU or ED; it commits you to an additional 5 years. We haven't even gotten to grad school yet, and you've been in for at least 7-8 years.

I think you're better off getting where you want to be (ACNP, ICU RN, etc) and direct commissioning after the fact. They'll pay your loans off retroactively.

No offense to the ROTC grads, but I don't personally believe it adds much to one's ability to serve in the nurse corps. None of my commanders or chief nurses so far have done ROTC, and they are all perfectly competent O-6s now. If anything, having a lot more clinical experience when you hit competitive promotion boards puts you at an advantage. When I meet the board for Major, I'll have 2 more years of bedside experience than any of the ROTC people. I'm already a charge nurse and an ACLS and PALS instructor as an O-1 due to my previous experience.

[thebird36, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Well ROTC was just a way to quickly get in, but I can see them not having much experience since they're straight out of school. My only concern I'd if I join Army, after I get my acnp, where does that put me? Just as a critical care nurse? I know Air Force has acnp but there's more trauma in Army from what I hear. Or would a better idea be get my bsn, then direct commission and when I hit captain do I go get my acnp then? But again that still leads me into the same place.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

I don't know about other branches, but their are ACNPs practicing in the Air Force. You create care plans, prescribe meds, etc. I work with one right now. You typically function as a 'hospitalist' (internal med provider practicing in an inpatient setting). You need a DNP to function like that, but you would enter as a O-3.

Getting-in is a long process, and I wouldn't advise going in and out like that. The Air Force (and I presume all branches) have a program to send you back to grad school full time with full pay. You do have to apply against other people though.

[thebird36, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I'm still trying to process if I want to make a career out of them military (which I know is difficult) or leave to go be an NP at a hospital, I was also looking into getting an RNFA too.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

I'm not sure if the AF or the military uses first assists in surgery. If you're at all uncertain about making it a career, you might want to get where you want to be before joining. If you're not willing to commit the time to do clinical fellowships, I don't think you'll like military nursing much.

Military Med-surg is really a huge step down from civilian med-surg (typically). Flight nursing and CCATT are unlike anything you'll get on the civilian side; they are awesome. However, I wouldn't join as a new grad doing med-surg.

I've done med-surg on both sides of the fence by the way.

[Dranger]

The Army doesn't use ACNPs, PAs are primarily used in the line units (combat) with a few FNPs in clinics.

ROTC scholarships and slots are VERY hard to get nowadays, I should know I was a recruiter.....