Medical Disqualifications--Should I even try?

[ensru011]

Hi everyone-

I haven't been on this website since before I went to LPN school, but am a semester away from receiving my BSN now. I have always had the idea of joining the military in the back of my mind, but am only now seriously wanting to pursue it. I want to serve my country, and I have always looked up to military personnel. I've weighed the pros and cons of each branch, and since I am young and single (plus other reasons), the Navy makes more sense at this time.

I have NUMEROUS cards stacked against me, though, specifically in the medical/physical area. I am young (22), active, and perceive myself as a healthy person. My major issues are mental--I have never been institutionalized and function fine as a human being, but I do take anti-depressants. I have multiple medical disqualifying factors: I have been treated for an eating disorder (bulimia), have been diagnosed with anxiety/depression (hence the anti-depressants), and have been treated for ADHD with Ritalin. When I list all of the mental issues I've had to deal with, it's almost embarrassing and hard to believe because I am a good student and I function as well as anyone else in society.

Are these absolute disqualifications that I cannot waiver? I understand that mental health is a serious issue and how stressful any branch of military is, but I am absolutely positive it is something I want to do.

I'm pretty crushed after researching these issues and realizing that it has jeopardized my future in the military, but I need to get some insight from you guys who are in the military and have more knowledge in this area. Do I need to be off of anti-depressants and Ritalin for a year? And if I was to be off of them for an entire year, should I ever even bother consider joining the military in the future with this medical history?

Thanks, and sorry for rambling!

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

You need to speak with a healthcare recruiter directly ... I know there are ways to obtain waivers for many things, but this may not be one of them, especially at a time when the military has an abundance of nursing applicants and are less inclined to grant waivers. Good luck!

[just_cause, BSN, RN]

My personal opinion is if its a long term goal - take some time and get yourself and life prepared for it. Make the best possible presentation to the military by gaining some RN experience, having several years of 'healthy' living, and apply at a time that is not overly saturated w/ applicants combined with low levels of nurses leaving the service. It is always harder to get in 'after' you try and don't have waivers approved....

The truth is we can't say what would or would not be approved in terms of waivers.. you can read through military regs that MEPS abides by to see what are waiverable / non-waiverable.. this is a military wide standard.. individuals services can waiver certain things... military commands are in charge of us 'health care professionals' and in some areas might have more leniency... that being said I would be open to the advice that there is no shortage now.. experience is almost required to get in - based on who is being accepted, not by the minimal entry requirements - and to take your time making a good future applicant who has experience and a healthy track record to offer.

[ensru011]

Thank you guys for the replies. I will apply after I am off my medications for a year and see where that takes me! In the meantime, I will finish school and gain some experience as an RN. I figured I was at a huge disadvantage, but maybe in a year or year and a half I will try.

[iangood]

I currently work as an NP in the civilian world, but I used to be a med tech in the Air Force. One of my jobs was to help complete physicals on prospective Air Force members (mainly those trying to go to ROTC or Air Force Academy), prior service coming back into the military and regular occupational and flying physicals. I am pretty familiar with the med regulations (for the Air Force at least) and I helped to prepare waiver packages to go to the Air Force Surgeon General's office for approval.

Based on my experience, I would say your chances of getting a waiver for the multiple mental health issues in your history are very slim. I am sorry to be blunt with you, but as others have mentioned, the military in general and the Air Force in particular has way more qualified applicants currently than slots available (blame the economy). This means that they can be much more selective about who they pick. A waiver package is quite time consuming to put together and I would say it would be difficult to get a recruiter on board with putting in all the time and effort to prepare one, when they know that there is a good chance you will not get a waiver and they have so many others trying to get in who do not have the same issues that require a waiver. Unfortunately, most recruiters are quite busy and they will likely put their time and efforts into people they know wll be the easiest to get in the Air Force.

Take your history of ADD/ADHD as an example. You would need to be off meds for a long period of time (a year or more) and be able to demonstrate without a doubt that your ability to focus, concentrate and perform complex tasks was not diminished in any way by being off Ritalin. This is hard to document and prove, but it can be done. As many young people of your generation were diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and on Ritalin or other meds during their teen years, the military is a bit more lax about this than they used to be and it this were your only issue, I would say you would likely get a waiver, provided you met the conditions listed above. However...you have the other issues - depression, anxiety, bulimia. The most difficult to get a waiver for is going to be anxiety. It is admirable that you have managed to overcome all of these issues and not only make it into nursing school, but also be successful and be at the point where you are almost ready to finish. I congratulate you on that accomplishment. But the military is much more stressful than anything you have likely experienced up to now and they will be very concerned about your ability to not only cope with this stress, but function at the highest possible level for long hours under difficult and possibly dangerous conditions. Again, you would need to show and have documented by your psychiatrist/psychologist that you have been stable off any type of anti-anxiety medication for a period of one year or more. Documentation and careful frequent follow-up with your provider will be essential. During the waiver process, you must submit all medical records relating to your issues. The people who review them will be looking very carefully at your records and the burden of proof will be on you.

All this being said, my recommendation would be to finish up nursing school and find a civilian nursing job. While you are gaining some experience, go to your psychiatrist and tell them you are interested in the military and that you would like to go off any meds if it is safe to do so and set up regular follow-up visits so they can document that you are doing well off meds. After 2 years, you will have nursing experience and a track record of mental stability that will make you a much more attractive candidate to the military and make obtaining a waiver possible (difficult still, but possible). It will be a long road to be sure, but if you truly want to serve in the military, it can probably be done. Best of luck to you in all your future endeavors. Remember if the military does not work out, you will still be a member of the wonderful profession of nursing and will have many opportunities to have a successful and fulfilling career.

[CRF250Xpert]

No offense, but I recommend people to be medically boarded OUT of the military when they have the multiple physch issues you mention. search if you'd like, as I made a similar post previously explaining why the stressful military medical system is a bad choice for folks with pre-existing mental health issues.