Military/VA RN's - Please post experiences for Students

[RNPATL]

I would like to help our student nurses recognize the value of entering into military service or working for the VA system. To do this, I would ask all of our members that are military or VA employed to lend your experience here. Please take a moment to post information for our students that you might think is helpful for them.

Would love to see information about dealing with recruiters (military ... that is) and how to effectively negotiate with them. Would like to see information posted about experiences that you have and any recommendations you have about entering military nursing or the VA system. THe VA can be a difficult place to navigate and any information on how to get into the VA would be helpful also.

We have many students that monitor this thread and I think this information would be very helpful to them.

Also, for the students reading this thread, please feel free to add your questions. We have many experienced military and VA nurses that view this thread and I am sure they are willing to help answer your questions.

I will make the thread a sticky in the hopes that it does become popular. Thanks for your help.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Thanks Bob. This is very useful information. I had a productive conversation with my daughter today and we are both feeling a little less stressed about the situation. I think the recruiters realize there is a small window of opportunity to sign someone up so they sometimes pressure people into making a quick decision. Just want whats best for her, not the Army.

Thanks again, Mark

Don't overlook United States Public Health Service. It has all the same benefits as the military w/o the having to worry about military deployments, and the promotions are usually better w/ a higher starting rank for new nurses vs. the military.

Nurse Information in the Commissioned Corps

Capt E, USAF, NC

[hoffner1]

Thanks, I'll check it out. It's amazing how many career opportunities there are in the Medical field. I'm sure the military has it's fair share as well, but the military isn't something anyone should take lightly in my opinion. It's a life changing decision and I want her to weigh all of her options before doing something she might regret. I told her if she really wants to join the service, she will feel just as strongly about it next week or six weeks from now and so on. There is no need to make a quick decision today. Her recruiter told here that the position she is interested in may not be available if she doesn't sign quickly. From my experience, anyone who tries to rush someone into making a quick, uneducated decision is usually putting their own interests first. I have several family members who have served in the military, and a few who have made careers of it. It's easy to understand how proud they are of their service just speaking with them, but these types of decisions should require many hours of research before making a final decision. I understand some people don't have that luxury but in this case there is no reason to allow anyone to apply that type of pressure. Thanks for your response. This forum has been very helpful to me.

Mark

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Thanks, I'll check it out. It's amazing how many career opportunities there are in the Medical field. I'm sure the military has it's fair share as well, but the military isn't something anyone should take lightly in my opinion. It's a life changing decision and I want her to weigh all of her options before doing something she might regret. I told her if she really wants to join the service, she will feel just as strongly about it next week or six weeks from now and so on. There is no need to make a quick decision today. Her recruiter told here that the position she is interested in may not be available if she doesn't sign quickly. From my experience, anyone who tries to rush someone into making a quick, uneducated decision is usually putting their own interests first. I have several family members who have served in the military, and a few who have made careers of it. It's easy to understand how proud they are of their service just speaking with them, but these types of decisions should require many hours of research before making a final decision. I understand some people don't have that luxury but in this case there is no reason to allow anyone to apply that type of pressure. Thanks for your response. This forum has been very helpful to me.

Mark

Just to make sure I understand...Your daughter is talking to Army enlisted recruiter and not an Army healthcare recruiter for officers. The recruiter is trying to get her to sign up as an 91W? If that is the case you need to tell that recruiter to beat it, and go talk to a healthcare recruiter!!!!

Good Luck and be very skeptical of recruiters!!

[Gennaver, MSN]

Her recruiter told here that the position she is interested in may not be available if she doesn't sign quickly.

Mark

Hello Mark,

If the recruiter is telling her that her "MOS" may not be available later then I agree he/she is not a healthcare, (officer) recruiter but an enlisted recruiter.

They are two very different things. Health care officers are officers, enlisted are the LPNs, CNAs, EMT, (civilian equavalents) yet she needs to speak with a healthcare recruiter! *not* enlisted.

Good luck!

Gen

[hoffner1]

She has been working with an enlisted recruiter but he had her speak with a healthcare recruiter on the phone the other day. I guess the compromise was to join as an ER Tech and take nursing classes on her own while in the army. He told her she would only have to work a couple days a week in the ER and since she would be taking nursing classes she would be easily dismissed from her daily duties to take classes. Someone he knows got his bachlers degree online in two years. I'm not buying it, and the fact he hasn't mentioned anything about finishing school first doesn't help. She graduated high school with an associates degree in Liberal Arts and later decided to go to nursing school to get her associates degree as an RN. Of course she had to wait a year to get in, so during that time she went to school and pretty much got all the classes she needed out of the way except the actual nursing classes. She is in nursing school now and only has to go a couple days a week since she has the other classes out of the way, so she is working as a nursing assistant at the local nursing home and seems to like it alot. I think if she did spend some time with a healthcare recruiter they would encourage her to finish school first. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks, but I think she has settled down some since we talked about it. Thanks again for all the info. I may have her check out this forum for herself so nothing gets lost in the translation.

Mark

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

She has been working with an enlisted recruiter but he had her speak with a healthcare recruiter on the phone the other day. I guess the compromise was to join as an ER Tech and take nursing classes on her own while in the army. He told her she would only have to work a couple days a week in the ER and since she would be taking nursing classes she would be easily dismissed from her daily duties to take classes. Someone he knows got his bachlers degree online in two years. I'm not buying it, and the fact he hasn't mentioned anything about finishing school first doesn't help. She graduated high school with an associates degree in Liberal Arts and later decided to go to nursing school to get her associates degree as an RN. Of course she had to wait a year to get in, so during that time she went to school and pretty much got all the classes she needed out of the way except the actual nursing classes. She is in nursing school now and only has to go a couple days a week since she has the other classes out of the way, so she is working as a nursing assistant at the local nursing home and seems to like it alot. I think if she did spend some time with a healthcare recruiter they would encourage her to finish school first. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks, but I think she has settled down some since we talked about it. Thanks again for all the info. I may have her check out this forum for herself so nothing gets lost in the translation.

Mark

That recruiter is flat out lying! There is no way that he/she can make those promises about working and going to school! Those things are decided by the unit she would work on and by her supervisor. In the medical field you are usually busy and undermanned. I doubt she would get anytime off to go to school. The other thing to consider is she will have to put school on hold during basic training and during her enlisted training.

My advice would be to finish school. Then get a job as an RN, then finish her bachelors in nursing, and then go talk with all the different branches. All the branches will give constructive credit towards rank for civilian RN experience.

I betting there is something that your daughter is interested in besides just this career field or just joining the Army. If she is like a lot of my enlisted tech, she probably just wants to do something now/do something different and get away from everything. A comprise might be to look into the ROTC programs at the universities and the JRCOSTEP/SRCOSTEP programs with USPHS. She could just continue right on to get her Bachelors.

She is more than welcome to PM any of the nursing officers on here including me. I don't know of any of us that wouldn't welcome her to PM us about this.

Good Luck!

[Gennaver, MSN]

She has been working with an enlisted recruiter ... I think if she did spend some time with a healthcare recruiter they would encourage her to finish school first. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks, but I think she has settled down some since we talked about it. Thanks again for all the info. I may have her check out this forum for herself so nothing gets lost in the translation.

Mark

I doubt that the person she spoke with on the phone was really a healthcare recruiter.

There is little to no way she could "just complete her nursing courses" as an enlisted. In order to be eligible to sit for NCLEX she must have graduated from an accredited school and completed the program there. Rarely would I imagine that a school would confur the degree upon someone who "only" took the clinicals through them.

I suggest she cease speaking with the enlisted recruiter as he is not serving her well at all. She will be enlisted....Nurses are officers, (whole different route), If she goes in as enlisted then she will attend basic training, (boot camp) and will be serving the needs of the service far long before they allow her to get around to possibly completing her degree.

Besides, nursing clinicals for the RN program are not done online, at all, ever.

This enlisted recruiter is really working it to get her in, it would be a disservice to her to go in now when she could speak with a healthcare recruiter and maybe commision in now while waiting to complete her RN, (no money until graduation though).

Hmmm, although once I was in the same spot your daughter was I didn't wait for the junior college, I transfered to a four year University and could've completed the BSN in the same time left towards the Associates.

But, I decided to go on and complete the BA in something else and transfer to a two year MS in Nursing entry, so that is a bit different too. Main point is that if she bails now while she is so close to the RN she will loose out more than temporarily gain.

Gen

[hoffner1]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Hopefully this will be my last post for awhile. My daughter has decided to keep doing what she's doing and I'm very relieved. I think you hit the nail on the head WTBCRNA when you said she probably wants to do something now/do something different and get away from everything. I think we've all felt that way at some point in our lives. This forum has been great, and proved to be exactly what I came looking for. It has served us well, and if she would have decided to join the military, this forum would have been on my favorites list for a very long time to come.

P.S. My daughter has read all of your comments, so she should be well prepared if the recruiter should happen to call.

Thanks again, Mark

[foxden1010]

This is my very first post. Hello to all. I retired from the Army 3 yrs ago. The Army nurse Corp is all about leadership and staff development opportunities. I have had a variety of experieces in the service, that I might not have had as a civ nurse. I am in my mid 40's and retired. I will get my retirement pay until I die. There is no other organization that I know of that allows a nurse to retire with pay and benefits after a minimum of 20 yrs of service.

I was prior service before becoming an officer, meaning I served as an enlisted person too. I worked very hard and had many challenges. It was all worth it. Active duty nurse must have a BSN. Reservist can have a ADN. Someone earlier posted a false picture of military nursing. The idea that military nurses don't work hard is an absolute untruth. There is a shortage of nurses in the military too. Military nurses always have several jobs, their primary specialty and "additional duties"----There were many days I felt overworked and under paid. I felt fustrated with staffing shortages and administration. I believe that every nurse has these types of feelings during her career at some point and time. I also had great times, when I felt that I made a difference. The nurse physician relationship is different in the military. The rank structure provides checks and balances. A nurse might out rank the physician, so even though he is the physician, he or she is expected to respect the rank and position of the nurse.

I had clinical,administrative and staff development roles. I've lived in several states in the US and I served in Germany and Korea. Initially the pay is lower for, but at the end of the day the pay and benefits package far exceeds the civ sector. when you get promotions and yrs accumulate, plus cost of living pay,plus money for having dependants, plus money for housing plus money for food (tax free) =you do the math.

Nursing is hard work====but there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you choose a career as a military nurse. It's not for everybody, but I encourage students to explore the option. You may not want to make it a career. Some choose to do a few years and get out. The experience is challenging, but for sure you will depart as a nurse leader----

[dragonheart, MSN]

As a prior Navy nurse recruiter , I can share that there are many avenues to verify the nursing career chosen and earn a license in the state that challenge exam is administered in.

There are age restrictions and ADNs(Associate Degree Nurses) have been recruited into the Navy Nurse Corps.

You could apply to work in a military setting as a civilian RN. The stability of the healthcare facilities is the civilian staff, who ideally teach and help the military staff grow as they serve 3-4 year tours of duty

What I have said those those considering service is that the basic requirements, committment s and obligatiaons are not different between civilian and military nursing.

What is different is opportunities to diversify your experiences and an opportunities as a leader, manager and healthcare giver.

Your life is not put on hold; if anything you travel and see the world, while working and different states, countries, and settings that you would otherwise need to be negotiated by you prior to each career enhancing experience.

There is evidence of cut throat nature in most humans at one time or another. I would not say that the military has a corner on the market. You will meet people you like working with and for and those you do not.

The exciting thing is that in the military setting, in some time frame ,one of you will detach to another duty station if that does occur. Thus the work environment is fluid and highly motivated towards what you are willing to make it...

I would say that the VA is a different route vice an alternative as is civilian practice within the military setting.

Take a lot look at

http://www.navy.com/healthcare/nursing

[cherokeesummer]

Don't overlook United States Public Health Service. It has all the same benefits as the military w/o the having to worry about military deployments, and the promotions are usually better w/ a higher starting rank for new nurses vs. the military.

Nurse Information in the Commissioned Corps

Capt E, USAF, NC

Thank you for posting this. I am trying to find more information but can't seem to find the answers LOL...ok - so if you qualify and can meet the requirements and you get in...there are no deployments what so ever? I would love to do this but I do not want to do deployments...I have a one year old son and I want to be with him...that is my biggest commitment and my love...I want to be with him and my Husband.

I'm not sure I would meet the medical requirements anyway b/c I am a diabetic but you never know LOL...I don't know if thats a problem or not.

:smilecoffeeIlovecofAnyway, any information you have would be greatly appreciated, I'm still researching on the website and I appreciate link.

[Gennaver, MSN]

...Anyway, any information you have would be greatly appreciated, I'm still researching on the website and I appreciate link.

Before the Army board picked me up I was talking with the CC of PHS, (Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service) and they were most helpful.

I contacted them through their site, "contact us" and asked about nurse recruiting.

Within days I received an email and was encouraged to call. I was informed very well that if I stay in the military less than 8 years then I can trasfer over and that they have an age limit of 44 years old but, thankfully your years military service will be subtraced from your biological age.

I was told that they are a "division" of the Public Health Service and that the public health service staffs for NIH, Prisons, Indian Health Service and so on.

Good luck,

Gen