Military Nursing

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

So for those who have been around for a while may know I have a son that I love dearly. He will be 17 in 6 days and has told me and his father that he intends to enlist in the ARMY and get trained as a medic with the idea of becoming a nurse through the GI Bill. I am very proud of this young man and would love to hear stories good and bad about how the military has helped you achieve your goals.

Hppy

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Sounds like a great plan. However, we both know that what we want at 17 or 18 might not be what we want when we are 30 - lol.

I was in nursing school right after high school, suddenly quit going after about a year and a half and joined the USN and left the next day for boot camp. I learned so much about life and most of all about myself in the three years I was in the USN.

IMHO the military will teach him much more than a skill - it teaches you to be a responsible adult and to realize that what WE want isn't always the most important thing.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Tell him that after he enlists, he should look into the Army Enlisted Commissioning Program (AECP). It would be a while before he would be eligible to apply, but basically the Army would pay him to attend nursing school and cover the tuition in exchange for some time in service (known as an Active Duty Service Obligation or ADSO) in the Army Nurse Corps. It's a great program! I served with nurses who went from enlisted to officer via that route. It's very competitive to get in, so he would want to be an exemplary soldier. ?

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Specializes in Med/Surge, ED, Critical Care, Anesthesia.

I followed your son's plans and it has been very successful for me. I enlisted out of high school as a medic, then used the GI bill when I got out to receive my BSN. I ended up then commissioning as I missed the military and the Army is currently paying for my DNAP in Anesthesia while I still receive my salary. The military, in my opinion, is second to none in the educational opportunities it offers. If your son still wants to become a nurse after he has been in for a couple of years and continue in the military, the AECP program that Pixie.RN mentioned is one of the best programs available. The Inter physician assistance program (IPAP) is another program that many medics apply for. The army pays you to become a physician assistant and is also one of the top-ranked programs in the country.

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.

I joined the army at age 18. My goal was to get the GI Bill and college fund then go to college. Things didn’t go exactly as plannned... diversions along the way.

Cut to now - I’m a nurse. I am in the Air Force and and serve as a flight nurse. I went from being an E-1 army private to a AF Major.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
On 1/21/2019 at 8:53 AM, midinphx said:

I joined the army at age 18. My goal was to get the GI Bill and college fund then go to college. Things didn’t go exactly as plannned... diversions along the way.

Cut to now - I’m a nurse. I am in the Air Force and and serve as a flight nurse. I went from being an E-1 army private to a AF Major.

OMG, HI!!!!!!!!!!!!! ❤️ Major! ?

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.
On 1/22/2019 at 3:20 PM, Pixie.RN said:

OMG, HI!!!!!!!!!!!!! ❤️ Major! ?

Pixie, your IP now? From ER to IP. Awesome. I started as ER, went ICU, then AF. 2 ICU deployments. Now flight nurse. Was the IP at Lakenheath AFB and really got a lot out of it! Never asked for that job, but I have been told to embrace whatever I’m given and I have been lucky to like most challenges! You and I have had similar paths. And I remember you from when I started my AF journey. Now I’m going on my 5th deployment. ?

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