Military Spouse RN

0402 · Oct 30, 2012

Just like for civilians, where you are makes a difference. I went to NS in San Diego, but very shortly after graduation and taking the NCLEX, we moved to the DC area. I applied for jobs just like any other new grad. I researched- well before we left- to get a list of hospitals within a 1 hr commute (I have 3 young kids and that was my personal limit). I called all of the hospitals to get an idea of how their new grad residencies worked and when they anticipated start dates in the summer and the fall (we arrived at our new duty station in July). I didn't find the DC area too hard to find a new grad job, though I'm sure others would disagree. It's definitely much more challenging when you don't know anyone, and you don't know the hospital systems. I had a lot of connections in San Diego (both at MTFs and civilian hospitals) but then had to start over fresh, as a new grad. I do know that being a 2nd career RN, with a good amount of time in another occupation helped, so I would assume it could be different for someone without work history. Once you get experience, it does get easier.

tortorRN · Nov 1, 2012

Interesting so chances are I will probably need to get an LPN licensed or lower job if I can't find anything. Hopefully this will be easier in a couple if years!

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Nov 2, 2012

Interesting so chances are I will probably need to get an LPN licensed or lower job if I can't find anything. Hopefully this will be easier in a couple if years!

It's good to plan now but don't stress over it too much until that time comes!

tortorRN · Nov 4, 2012

Lol I know, darling hubby says the same thing... But I just like to have a feel for things so that I'm not blind sided. :)

does anyone have a good online/distance learning RN to BSN program they recommend? A plus if they give a mil discount or in state tuition to mil spouses too :)

JillyRN · Nov 8, 2012

I completed my RN to BSN through Liberty University. They offered a military tuition discount, waived fees and a book voucher. Classes were every 8 weeks so I was able to finish in a year with a total cost of about 8K. I was very pleased with the professors and the ease of enrollment.

tortorRN · Nov 11, 2012

Ooh tell me more about Liberty please! Sounds nice.. How was your experience? Clinicals? All online or distance friendly. Were you FT or PT? Prereqs? Did you work while in the program?

JillyRN · Nov 14, 2012

I had an awesome experience with Liberty. I worked full time as an RN in a Dr.'s office so I had nights and weekends to study. Assignments were due on Monday nights, which worked out perfectly. Because they are only 8 week sessions, you can take 2-3 classes during each subterm which is considered full time. There will be about 2 weeks that the subterms overlap, so that can be exhausting. But I felt it was so worth it to be finished in less than a year. I started in March 2011, took 2 classes every 8 weeks for about 6 months, then took a term off so that I could enjoy R&R with my husband. I only had 3 classes left so I finished those in the first subterm of this year, which ended in March. I found it all very manageable even with working and having my husband deployed.

It's a Christian University, so there are 2 or 3 required religion courses. Otherwise, it was comparable to other BSN programs. I had already completed organic and inorganic chem.

My only hang up was microbiology, because it wasn't previously offered online. Now they do offer it, but I opted to take the Excelsior credit by exam. Liberty does accept many of the excelsior exams if you have done any of those.

I will say, I did not have a single instructor who I found difficult or hard to work with. All the students I worked with were great for sharing information on their experiences and nursing perspectives. However, I do have a friend also completing their RN to BSN program that may say otherwise. She started a few months after me in a similar situation and has found a couple instructors to be overly critical and hard to reach. She is almost done now, but states they changed the curriculum since I graduated and held her to additional courses. I can't speak for sure on any of that.

FYI: Regular tuition is normally $450 a credit hour, $250 with the military discount. You get between $200-400 in book vouchers per semester, and I never ended up paying out of pocket for books. The $400 tech fee is waived for military and dependents. It is CCNE accredited.

tortorRN · Nov 14, 2012

That sounds all really good! I went to a Catholic school until 6th grade then a public school, so the religion courses don't bother me one bit. When did you go to school there? I just did a unofficial transcript eval and they said I would have about 16 classes to complete, but I should be able to knock around 5-6 courses out while I'm finishing up school.

Redoncue · Nov 21, 2012

Hello there! I just wanted to follow up with the discussion. I'm a military spouse and will be finishing up nursing school in August 2013. My husband is a USAF Lt Col and there is a chance we could be overseas-Germany. My previous exprience is diverse: EMT-B in Virginia, Phlebotomist in Virginia for Sentara, CNA and MA IN Virginia for Sentara and PHarmacy Technician for In patient VA Hospital in Omaha, NE, where I'm currently attending nursing school. (5-6 years total)This is also my second bachelors, my first is in communication.I loved working for the VA and would like to return(crossing fingers hiring freeze lifts soon.)Is there anything I could be doing now? Or should I expect to not be doing nursing for the time were there? Maybe I can use my other exprience? Finally, we start preceptorships in May, I wonder if there is a particular preceptorship that would be more advantageous in anticipation for overseas? Any advice is greatly apperciated!

JillyRN · Nov 29, 2012

Tortor,

I finished taking courses at Liberty back in May, but just recieved my BSN in September since I waited to take the Microbiology CLEP test. It feels so good to be done and it couldn't have come at a better time. My husband is being medically discharged from the Army, so I'll be going up for selection as an AF nurse in March. I'm anxious to see what could happen when the roles are reversed.... hahah

Let me know if you need any other help about LU. I may even have some books if you need them!

JillyRN · Nov 29, 2012

Hi Redo!

I can't say there would be a specific preceptorship that would be more helpful than others. From my experience, VA RN jobs are near impossible to come by without those 1-2 years of RN experience. But your previous VA experience might be helpful to keep that door open. My suggestion is to get as much RN experience as possible prior to the move. If this is not feasible, make sure to volunteer in a facility while looking for jobs to keep your skills fresh. This was something suggested to me by peers after looking for 6 months before landing my first RN job. Many employers seem leary of hiring new nurses that are a year post graduation without any experience. Even in my young age, it's amazing how fast things can fade! Good luck in school and with the move! Germany sounds like a dream :)

tortorRN · Jan 26, 2013

Well, I heard that you can work in VA hospitals and at US Government facilities overseas using your RN license. They will completely bypass it. Like what JillyRN said... get your experience! That's definitely the most important thing! I would definitely try to get into a VA hospital especially since you've already had experience there :)

Also if you wanted to work off base in Germany, I'm not sure how it works... but I heard that it can be done.

JillyRN: That sounds great! Did you like it there? I know this upcoming summer I'm going to do some serious research about what online RN-BSN program I'm going to get into. I love those military spouse discounted tuition rates... I might as well take advantage of it to save money.