Military Nurses

[sydneyrose]

So, I am 16 years old and am debating on joining the Naval forces OR Airforce. Either way, I have a few basic training, and enlisted/officer questions!

1.) I want to enlist in as an officer (BSN Nursing), must I pay for my own college and get my BSN before entering the military to become an officer, OR can I get tuition assistance from the military and get my BSN and still be enlisted as an officer?

2.) my uncle (former Naval sailor) and my father tell me even as an officer you go through regular basic training THEN Officer training... But then I'm told you only go to officer training (OIS) can you clear confusion?

[Seaofclouds, BSN, RN]

You won't be "enlisted as an officer". You are either enlisted or commissioned (as an officer). As for paying for the schooling, if you want to go into the military as a nurse, you will need to do it before commissioning as an officer. If you want to enlist (under another job) and then use the military benefits to pay for nursing school, that is an option. You will want to speak with an AMMED recruiter. Right now, getting a commission as a RN is difficult. There is a lot of competition for only a few spots every year.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

You are so young that ROTC is definitely a viable option. If your grades are good, apply for an ROTC scholarship for nursing. AF is probably a good option, since ROTC grads are guaranteed an active duty commission if they major in nursing (as of right now).

Direct commissioning, which is what seaofclouds is talking about, is really only likely if you have a few years of experience these days (although things could dramatically change by the time you finish school). Essentially, you compete for the slots left over after the ROTC kids fill them. You start applying after (or close to) the time that you graduate and become a registered nurse.

I'm not sure what your uncle is talking about. My best friend is in naval flight school right now, and they don't do basic training with the enlisted guys. I know a lot of the special forces guys train together with the enlisted (Navy Seals), but certainly nurses don't do enlisted basic training in any branch.

There really aren't very many differences between Navy and Air Force nursing. The vast majority of Navy nurses practice in military land-based facilities...very few on ships. There are several bases where Navy and AF nurses serve right alongside each other on the same unit. Maybe look at where the bigger hospitals are for each branch, since that's where you have a strong chance at being stationed. Navy: San Diego and Washington DC are huge. AF: San Antonio, Dayton (OH), Travis (CA) are bigger places.