Military Spouse RN

[tortorRN]

Hello all, hubby is in the Army. I am finishing up school to be an RN. He is supposed to deploy next year, when he gets back... He will be at the base he is currently at now for approximately 6 months, then being sent to Arizona for AIT for his new MOS- which will take another 6 months. We should then get orders to our next base at some point during that time. At some point after he gets back from deployment, I will be ready to take my NCLEX exam. So I have a few questions:

- Where do military spouse RNs work?

- How difficult is it to get these jobs?

- Knowing I will be moving at least 3-4 times (all different states) within a year, what should I be doing as far as my license? Should I not even bother with working?

- There always will be the possibility that we will be going to Korea or Germany, does anyone know what possibilities I would have there?

- Also, I'd like to know if it would be better if I should just stay in our home state until the chaos is done and over with just to have a stable income and actually be able to save money? (We currently are in a long distance marriage while I am in school, so this would be our last resort because we look so forward to the day we can actually wake up to one another and welcome the other home. But, I think we would do it if it was necessary)

- Do you think the Arizona BON would allow me to have a temporary license for the duration of his training if I find a nursing job?

I'm a planner and I like to be able to know my options far in advance so I can be as prepared as possible (and we all know that planning is almost impossible with the military, lol!)

Thank you so much in advance!! - Tor

[BeccaznRN, RN]

I am a RN with a military spouse that just started a three-year tour here in Germany. I will go ahead and say that it is VERY difficult to find jobs overseas for any spouse in any field. It's not impossible, but it's very difficult - much more so if you're going to be coming overseas as a new grad. The region we are stationed in only has a clinic vs. a main hospital, and some nurses waited up to two years to secure employment at the clinic. I came here with a six-year background in maternal/child health (and a BSN) and was very lucky to be offered employment with the Army's New Parent Support Program within three months of arriving. But I knew before coming here how difficult finding employment was going to be, so I planned for it by scoping out the job scene, making contacts the best that I could, gaining additional certifications (mainly in lactation) that would give me an edge, and having a plan B (waiting for a clinic job and having an online grad school in mind to apply for).

The advice I always give new grads is to look outside of the box for ways to get into your area of passion. I wanted nothing more than to do L&D after graduation (jobs were plentiful back then, but L&D was still a much sought-after and competitive unit), but instead of trying the standard "get a job as a tech on postpartum," I worked on a liver/kidney transplant floor where I became very proficient at lab draws and foley catheter insertions. Also, when it came time to pick senior preceptorships, I chose one of the only OR spots....very helpful to go into my L&D interview with some experience being in the OR on my resume (for C/S circulating). In a competitive market, it's helpful to have unconventional (but very relevant) experience to stand out among the sometimes thousands of applicants.

I second the above post on making sure that you are doing something while you are job searching. Volunteering is good, but I would also look into additional education. If you don't have a BSN, enroll in a program. I know a lot of new grads spend money to obtain certifications such as ACLS, PALS, etc., but personally, I highly recommend spending those dollars to attend conferences/workshops geared toward your interest(s) instead. Conferences are a great way to network and to learn the latest EBP in the specialty.

Best of luck to you all. And thank you for your service to the country as military spouses! =)

[JillyRN]

Tortor: I really liked the program. I loved the 8 week classes and it was great not having any out of pocket expenses when it comes to books and fees. The other schools I looked at based on cost and degree requirements that are conducive to distance learning were University of Wyoming, UT Arlington, and Oakland University. I can't remember if they offered a military discount, but the costs were reasonable. Good luck!