Moving around During School Due to Military

CaligirlinVA · Jun 22, 2012

Once you start in a Nursing Program, you can't really transfer schools. Most colleges don't accept Nursing courses as all schools run their programs a little differently. It isn't like most other majors where you can have your credits evaluated and transferrred. As a military spouse, I would HIGHLY recommend you finish your Nursing program before you move to follow your boyfriend. I have been there and done that with the long distance relationship, I know it is hard. My husband and I dated long distance for 2 years before we got married and spent our first year of marriage apart due to an unaccompanied assignment. But while you are still dating, it would be best if you complete your educational goals before you start moving all over to be with this guy. I had over 100 units completed toward a degree and then we moved overseas where my degree was not offered and it wasn't one that could be done online due to extensive upper level lab classes. I have bounced between schools and majors since then, and it has been so hard trying to complete a degree in something I am truely interested in. I've become frustrated and sad in the past knowing that I should have had a degree by now. I have more college credits than most Bachelor programs require and nothing to show for all that hard work. It has been a frustrating journey, and I am not alone in dealing with this type of situation. I am so thrilled to finally have the opportunity to go to Nursing school. I was accepted at the beginning of our current assignment and will be completing the program probably less than a year before we have to move again. I know you want to be with your boyfriend, but looking at the big picture for the future you should really complete your educational goals now instead of waiting. It will just get harder the more you have to move around. Good luck!

IftheShoeFits · Jun 23, 2012

Caligurlinva- Thank you so much for that, I really appreciate the insight and will certainly keep your experience in mind while I enter this world of moving around so much!

lovedijah · Jun 23, 2012

You could also think about online classes. There are LPN to BSN classes. Or RN to BSN. It's just getting the inital license that is difficult, because you tend to have to be in one place for awhile. Overall, I think it just comes down to time and planning things out accordingly so you're not PCSing in the middle of school.

I would definately make the sacrifice to finish a program ASAP though. We have friends whose first assignment was overseas- so you may end up in a situation where you can't even follow him unless you're married (you didn't mention marriage). So if youre waiting to start a program for him to get orders, it may not work out in your favor. Or he could get unaccompanied orders. There are so many factors. So until you get your degree, try to make your decisions independent of his. It's tough, but you can do it!

Also is you have any plans what so ever to get married look into the mycaa program. It's a grant for 4,000 you can use towards school. You can't use it for BSN's, but you can use it for ADN's and LPN programs. I only mention this because you mentioned money and that being an issue with getting the RN. Ive chosen the LPN route because mycaa just about paid for my course and it's the shortest program.

I wish you all the best.

IftheShoeFits · Jun 23, 2012

Lovedija- Thank you for the info!

I too am leaning toward the LPN route as it is fast, transferable, and affordable. This way I could possibly bridge LPN to BSN online later on.

Do you know what the prospects are for LPN's working as civilians in military hospitals?

Thank you!

lovedijah · Jun 24, 2012

Ive heard that they don't hire too many LPN's, BUT when you go to the usajobs site if you put in LPN.. often times a bunch of jobs will come up. So Im guessing they mainly hire RN's, but it's not unheard of for them to hire LPNs. I think the main thing is your program needs to be accredited to work in a military hospital.

Stephalump · Jun 24, 2012

I would go the LPN route if you're going to be moving next year. As hard as it's been, every military wife/gf friend I have who has been in a program like nursing or PTA has chosen to stay behind until they finish their program. Love and togetherness are awesome, but wasting time and money on a program and then leaving and potentially starting all over is not awesome :)

You should have no program bridging because, as PP said, it's that first licensure that's the toughest to get.

IftheShoeFits · Jun 24, 2012

Technically I am staying behind right now. He is in Basic then has OCS then has AIT to become an officer. He is set to finish OCS around Thanksgiving and begin AIT at the start of the new year I believe. I am not sure how long the individual training is going to be but am estimating we are already going to be apart from summer this year till May/ June 2013 then he will get his orders, maybe earlier maybe later.

Is there an average time for the AIT portion of officer training or does it vary greatly?

(sorry for all the questions, I really appreciate all of the help so far though!)

If I get into the LPN school it runs Oct- Oct 2013 so that will not put us too far off schedule and I can work full time during the program, and pay for it. So that would be nice.

I just found the Indiana state university distance learning site! They have an LPN- BSN online portion which looks somewhat like a godsend.

Thank you for all of the advice! I greatly appreciate it since I am so new to all of this.

Additionally, an other experiences of what you did, schools that you attended, how long you were apart, etc etc. Is all welcomed I would love to hear!

CaligirlinVA · Jun 24, 2012

The length of the AIT really depends on what your boyfriend's MOS (Job) is going to be. Also keep in mind that nothing is guranteed to run on time/keep to schedule with the military. Things change all the time, you really have to be able to roll with the punches and learn that the phrase "hurry up and wait" really applies to military life. Things can change at a moments notice.

Keep in mind that your boyfriend will be on unaccompanied orders, meaning the Army could make him live on base if they have open housing. It is less likely with an Officer (very common with unaccompanied lower ranking enlisted personel), but it is still a possibility. If that is the case he will not get housing allowance if he still chooses to live off base, and you won't be allowed to live in the base quarters if you are not married to him. It is just something to keep in mind because, like I said, nothing is a guarantee in military life.

I have attended 3 local community colleges, Perdue, and University of Maryland. Like I posted before, moving has made my educational goals difficult. It was even more difficult when we moved overseas and I had to completely change my major. What they offered overseas was limited to more popular non-science majors. I am assuming even an LPN to BSN online program is going to require clinicals, which will require some sort of preceptor that you will work with (my assumption is based on the fact that the LPN to RN students at my school actually join the regular RN students after the first semester and they do all the same clinicals and classes we do from that moment on, so there is a possibility that I am wrong. However, I can't imagine how the program would've been accredited without the students having to complete clinicals.) Trying to find facilities willing to work with this requirement can be pretty difficult.

My husband and I dated for 2 years long distance. Most of the first year he was training. The second year he was at his first duty station. We got married and he was sent on a one year unaccompanied tour overseas. Then we moved to a new base overseas together. While we lived overseas he deployed twice, and was TDY for varying ammounts of time. We moved back stateside and he has deployed another 2 times and has had frequent TDY. He has currently been gone for over a month for a mandatory training course, and we're hoping he makes it home before my birthday and our anniversary. Military life means you will spend time apart, a lot of it for many people. You will be apart for major holidays, celebrations, birthdays. Many men have missed the birth of their own children because of a deployment. The service member will miss milestones in their child's lives, not be there at times their spouses really need them, miss family events, weddings, and so much more. Heck, I had to pack up our entire house, move it into a moving trailer, get our house rented, celebrate my birthday and my daughter's birthday, our 8th wedding anniversary all without my husband last year. All the while worrying about if my husband was going to come home safely. It can be a lot to handle, but I am so proud of my husband and I love being a military spouse.