Navy, Air force, Military nursing

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Specializes in ER.

Hello everyone. I am a new nurse in the Navy reserve. If you are interested in Navy nursing or have any question about application process, testing, medical exam, background verification, selection board, accession process, Package preparation, MEPS, quota, credentialing, interviews, drills or units, just ask and I will do my best to answer them. I am not recruiter and my posts are based on my personal experience and may or may not reflect those of the Navy. Thx. 

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Your input helpful.  Thanks for adding info re reserves.

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Just curious I was checking the accession bonus and retention bonuses for nurses, why is pysch NP have one of the highest bonus second to CRNA. Thanks

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Specializes in ER.

floRNda, during active wars (Iraq, Afghanistan), more soldiers were wounded and needed operations, thus, more CRNA were need in the OR. Now that the wars are over and most of those soldiers are back home and are discharged, more of them are in need of mental care so more psych NP are needed. The retention bonus goes up as the need for a specific nursing specialty increases in the military based the year. As of last week, the Navy yearly bonus for med/surg nurse was $15k, psych $17k, per-op $20k, ICU $25k. However, even though the yearly bonus for psych NP is higher than CRNA, the early income of the CRNA will be higher than that of a psych NP. This is based on factors such as rank, speed of promotion, and other allowances that CRNA receive over that of other nursing specialty. 

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How long was the application process for you from recruiter to actually getting accepted?

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Specializes in ER.

floRNda, mine took 1 yr. The Average is 5 to 8 months. More education you have, more steps you will have to go through, thus longer the process. 

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Specializes in Cardithoracic/Adv. HF.

First I want to thank you for taking questions. I've got almost 2 years on step-down unit. I put in a package that I learned got accepted not too long ago. I'm starting to have reservations since I am transitioning into the ICU later in the year. I am weighing if I should turn it down and just reapply when I have experience in the ICU.

How long does it take to change your specialty?

As I said I got approved as a 1910 but I am transitioning into the ICU later in the year and would like to change my specialty when possible.

What posts would you recommend applying to?

I am on the west coast and want my yearly AT to be greenside things, is Camp Pendleton a possibility?

How many opportunities/how frequently can you do greenside things?

Are there any bonuses for new accension reserve medsurg nurses?

What are the chances for doing any schools(I.e. trauma course, en route transpo)?

What deployments are currently happening for medsurg/critical care RNs? Is it all Africa?

I've heard bad things about going out there.

Thanks again.

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Specializes in ER.

Mr. VictorGeronimo, before I can answer your question, I need some clarifications. 1) which branch are applying for in the military? 2)Do you have BSN or MSN? 3) How old are you? 4) What do you mean by a "package that was accepted not too long ago"? are you talking about your nursing officer package that goes in front of the military selection committee? 5) if you were accepted into the military then what were you credentialed as ? 6) approved as a 1910 ? 7) are you going active or reserve? ?how many years of nursing experience do you have? ? what rank have you been given by the military selection committee? 9) have you signed your military contract yet? 

As of last month, Navy offered $15k for med/surg and $25k for ICU nurse as a bonus. I can't speak for the other branches but I am sure they are similar..

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Specializes in Cardithoracic/Adv. HF.

@daniel4navy

1) Navy

2) BSN

3)Late 20s

4) Yes, I went to committee and was recommended

5) Medsurg RN

6) https://www.med.navy.mil/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=GhcYTW8oKN0%3D&tabid=13484&portalid=62&mid=46760

1910=medsurg

7) Reserves, almost

8) 2 years step down RN experience. From the results I will start as an O1.

9) Not just yet.

In terms of the bonuses, is that one time thing? I've seen different things in terms of retention and special duty pays. Do these apply to reservists? I'm the first RN my recruiter is pushing through, so he doesn't have much info.

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Specializes in ER.

Victor, Congratulation on being selected.

 

All nurses with BSN will come in as O1. 

 

All nurses with MSN will come in as O2. 

 

Before answer your questions, Here is the process that you will have to go through: 

 

0) You and your recruiter, will select a unit that you want to serve.

 

1) You will not find out the actual sign on bonus until your recruiter sends in the "phase 1" commissioning documents and received them back with your actual contract that you have to sign. 

 

2) ceremony, get you swore in

 

3) "phase 2" submit more documents up to Personnel Command and then they send back your approved Ready Reserve Agreement

 

4) your agreement states the unit that you wanted and that you are assigned to.

 

5) then those documents are submitted to Navy Reserve Center in your selected navy base.

 

6) Once the "gain" you can report to your first Drill Weekend. 

 

I'm not sure if your recruiter told you or not, but you can start working as a nurse in the reserve even before you go through the five weeks officer training school if you wanted to.

 

 

 

***I am weighing if I should turn it down and just reapply when I have experience in the ICU? If you reapply as an ICU nurse in a couple years, you will still come in as an O1. Your specialty has no influence on your rank. Only the level of your education does. The only difference is that you will get couple of more thousand dollar sign on bonus as an ICU nurse.

 

 

*** How long does it take to change your specialty? Technically, it's a simple request that you have to put in. But in reality, your commanding officer has to prove the change and that is based on so many factors such as shortage of med/surg nurse, unit availability and etc. Also as an ICU nurse, you can technically work on the med/surg unit but not vice versa.

 

***What posts would you recommend applying to? I would go in as med/surg nurse if I'm already selected. I would transition to the ICU in the civilian hospital. And in 2 years when I'm automatically promoted to O2, then I will have enough experience as an ICU nurse (certified ICU nurse) and a higher rank to pick my own ICU unit in the Navy.

 

***I am on the west coast and want my yearly AT to be greenside things, is Camp Pendleton a possibility? There are two units available to you. One is NMRTC and the other one is EMF. NMRTC is hospital base and EMF is on out on the field. In the NMRTC you will work inside the hospital (greenside things) and it's just like what you doing right now. You're two weeks Summer, is also in the same hospital. However in EMF, You're attached to a Marines unit and you will be out in the field, in tents, without any facilities. You need to ask your recruiter to find out where's the nearest NMRTC unit to you.

 

***How many opportunities/how frequently can you do greenside things? If you join an NMRTC unit, then you doing green side things, just like you're doing now as a civilian nurse.

 

 

***Are there any bonuses for new accension reserve medsurg nurses? Yes. The amount will depend on your years of experience as a nurse, your level of education, and the length of the contract that you're willing to sign from 3 years to 6 or 7 years.

 

 

***What are the chances for doing any schools(I.e. trauma course, en route transpo)? There are plenty of chances. However, you get more chances, longer you stay in and higher your rank gets. In other words, as an O1, Don't expect to be allowed to sign up to whatever trauma course you want after just being in the Navy for a few months.

 

 

***What deployments are currently happening for medsurg/critical care RNs? Is it all Africa? You will have, more chance of being deployed in the EMF unit if it's attached to Marines unit but less so in an NMRTC unit. Also trauma and ICU nurses would get deployed first because of the nature of the experience versus those nurses with medical, surgical, pediatric or psychiatric experience. You don't get deployed as a nurse but your unit does. But you can always request to be deployed. Also more trauma courses and other nursing skill classes you take, you become a better candidate for deployment because you are becoming more experienced. As a reserve nurse, you are less likely to be deployed versus as an active nurse. However, at the end of the day no one can predict nor guarantee if if you are going to be deployed. Even if you get deployed to Africa, as a reserved Navy nurse, you will work inside an air conditioned hospital ?

 

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Specializes in Cardithoracic/Adv. HF.

@daniel4navy

Thanks for the info, I'll take that into consideration.

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daniel4navy said:

Victor, Congratulation on being selected.

 

All nurses with BSN will come in as O1. 

 

All nurses with MSN will come in as O2. 

 

Before answer your questions, Here is the process that you will have to go through: 

 

0) You and your recruiter, will select a unit that you want to serve.

 

1) You will not find out the actual sign on bonus until your recruiter sends in the "phase 1" commissioning documents and received them back with your actual contract that you have to sign. 

 

2) ceremony, get you swore in

 

3) "phase 2" submit more documents up to Personnel Command and then they send back your approved Ready Reserve Agreement

 

4) your agreement states the unit that you wanted and that you are assigned to.

 

5) then those documents are submitted to Navy Reserve Center in your selected navy base.

 

6) Once the "gain" you can report to your first Drill Weekend. 

 

I'm not sure if your recruiter told you or not, but you can start working as a nurse in the reserve even before you go through the five weeks officer training school if you wanted to.

 

 

 

***I am weighing if I should turn it down and just reapply when I have experience in the ICU? If you reapply as an ICU nurse in a couple years, you will still come in as an O1. Your specialty has no influence on your rank. Only the level of your education does. The only difference is that you will get couple of more thousand dollar sign on bonus as an ICU nurse.

 

 

*** How long does it take to change your specialty? Technically, it's a simple request that you have to put in. But in reality, your commanding officer has to prove the change and that is based on so many factors such as shortage of med/surg nurse, unit availability and etc. Also as an ICU nurse, you can technically work on the med/surg unit but not vice versa.

 

***What posts would you recommend applying to? I would go in as med/surg nurse if I'm already selected. I would transition to the ICU in the civilian hospital. And in 2 years when I'm automatically promoted to O2, then I will have enough experience as an ICU nurse (certified ICU nurse) and a higher rank to pick my own ICU unit in the Navy.

 

***I am on the west coast and want my yearly AT to be greenside things, is Camp Pendleton a possibility? There are two units available to you. One is NMRTC and the other one is EMF. NMRTC is hospital base and EMF is on out on the field. In the NMRTC you will work inside the hospital (greenside things) and it's just like what you doing right now. You're two weeks Summer, is also in the same hospital. However in EMF, You're attached to a Marines unit and you will be out in the field, in tents, without any facilities. You need to ask your recruiter to find out where's the nearest NMRTC unit to you.

 

***How many opportunities/how frequently can you do greenside things? If you join an NMRTC unit, then you doing green side things, just like you're doing now as a civilian nurse.

 

 

***Are there any bonuses for new accension reserve medsurg nurses? Yes. The amount will depend on your years of experience as a nurse, your level of education, and the length of the contract that you're willing to sign from 3 years to 6 or 7 years.

 

 

***What are the chances for doing any schools(I.e. trauma course, en route transpo)? There are plenty of chances. However, you get more chances, longer you stay in and higher your rank gets. In other words, as an O1, Don't expect to be allowed to sign up to whatever trauma course you want after just being in the Navy for a few months.

 

 

***What deployments are currently happening for medsurg/critical care RNs? Is it all Africa? You will have, more chance of being deployed in the EMF unit if it's attached to Marines unit but less so in an NMRTC unit. Also trauma and ICU nurses would get deployed first because of the nature of the experience versus those nurses with medical, surgical, pediatric or psychiatric experience. You don't get deployed as a nurse but your unit does. But you can always request to be deployed. Also more trauma courses and other nursing skill classes you take, you become a better candidate for deployment because you are becoming more experienced. As a reserve nurse, you are less likely to be deployed versus as an active nurse. However, at the end of the day no one can predict nor guarantee if if you are going to be deployed. Even if you get deployed to Africa, as a reserved Navy nurse, you will work inside an air conditioned hospital ?

 

How about a change of job when your reserves. I mean if you became a NP or CRNA, is it easy to upgrade from being RN in reserves? Or you willneed to re apply? Thanks

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