Navy or Army nursing

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Hi my name is Melanie. I was thinking for a while I would love to join the Navy or the Army after school. I am one year into a nursing college and in 2013 I will have my B.S.N. I want to save lives and see the world. I was thinking the Navy because I do not know if I want to be on the front lines with the Army. Can any military nurses help me and tell me what training is like and what your part in the military is.

Thank you!!

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I'm not into nursing with either the Army or Navy. However, as the gf of a U.S. Soldier I can let you know that as a woman you won't be in the front lines, most women in the Army that I know of (this is just me personally) have jobs in offices etc.

Also, if you want to be a nurse in the Army I would look into training in the Army b/c they would pay for all of your training. And you'd be getting your seniority in.

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Specializes in EMT-P.

If I were you, I would look into the Air force. They have the best bases, good chow halls and overall better quality of quarters. I served in the Navy and was stationed at a Marine base at one time. In the Navy you may find yourself on a ship which is no cruise liner, in the Army you can find yourself in some sort of MASH unit. AF will most likely put you in an actual building.

I guess it depends on what you want, if your into adventure and such, the Navy might be the way to go. Army, well I dunno about that.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Hi my name is Melanie. I was thinking for a while I would love to join the Navy or the Army after school. I am one year into a nursing college and in 2013 I will have my B.S.N. I want to save lives and see the world. I was thinking the Navy because I do not know if I want to be on the front lines with the Army. Can any military nurses help me and tell me what training is like and what your part in the military is.

Thank you!!

I hate to be the bearer of the cold bucket of water, but it's very possible that you'll get to see the front lines in the Navy as you are in the Army--I know of several Navy nurses (and yes, all are female) who got stationed in Iraq, Afghanastan, and Africa at joint command bases for 6-12 month tours. Yes, the odds of you getting sent there are lower than if you were in the Army...but in reality, if you're in any of the armed forces, there's a real risk of seeing the front lines.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to the Government and Military forum

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I was looking into Army Nursing as well (to the point that I was in Army ROTC in college), and as Meriwhen said, there is a very good chance of you getting stationed overseas. Nurses are in high demand al over, but even more so in the Military. I, for personal reasons, have decided that if I do indeed go into the Armed forces, I will be going in under the Airforce. If you speak with a few people most will tell you that AF is the way to go. Quality of life is better, deployments (for nurses) are MUCH shorter. Either way, I suggest going in to speak with some recruiters. They will give you everything sugar coated, so make sure you take the information they give you and then discuss it with an outside source. Also, keep in mind whichever you decide to do- if any, you will need to be in shape and pass Physical Training exams even though you will be a nurse. (Also, from personal experience, Army Uniforms are very unforgiving on the female body- they are not made for hips, it sucked)

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

All nurses of every military branch serve on the "front lines". The Navy takes care of the Marines so wherever there are Marines you will find Navy nurses. The AF has its own forward deployed bases and also often augments the Army. Army nurses go everywhere. You can find Army and AF nurses on Navy ships ( Mercy and Comfort) for joint assignments or find anyone of the three on each others bases.

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As a former soldier... don't join the Army or Air Force to see the world. You'll see front lines (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc) and your base, which could be somewhere as exciting as Ft. Hood in Killeen, TX or Minot Air Force Base in Minot, ND. Nice towns and all, but not quite "seeing the world." The Navy might give you a better shot if you're on a ship that stops at different places.

Just remember, like others have said, that the Navy includes the Marines, and Marines get sent to do some crazy things.

I'm not trying to discourage you from joining the military, just make sure you go in eyes wide open.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
I'm not trying to discourage you from joining the military, just make sure you go in eyes wide open.

That's the key thing. I meet so many people who went into the Navy nursing thinking that because they're nurses, they'd stay at the naval hospital the whole time and never get sent anywhere...just to have their first tour be Iraq, go straight into a 8 month sea deployment or be stationed 3000 miles away.

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I'm not into nursing with either the Army or Navy. However, as the gf of a U.S. Soldier I can let you know that as a woman you won't be in the front lines, most women in the Army that I know of (this is just me personally) have jobs in offices etc.

Also, if you want to be a nurse in the Army I would look into training in the Army b/c they would pay for all of your training. And you'd be getting your seniority in.

Sorry to say that plenty of Army women are being injured and killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan - and if you're medical it's not going to matter whether you're male or female.

I'm not sure what you mean by "getting your seniority in"; all the services give constructive credit towards time in grade for years spent as an RN, but a new grad would not have this.

All of the services pay for the training of their nurses in their respective specialties.

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As a former soldier... don't join the Army or Air Force to see the world. You'll see front lines (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc) and your base, which could be somewhere as exciting as Ft. Hood in Killeen, TX or Minot Air Force Base in Minot, ND. Nice towns and all, but not quite "seeing the world." The Navy might give you a better shot if you're on a ship that stops at different places.

Just remember, like others have said, that the Navy includes the Marines, and Marines get sent to do some crazy things.

I'm not trying to discourage you from joining the military, just make sure you go in eyes wide open.

Places I went while active duty the first time around with the Air Force:

Saudi Arabia

Dubai (Dubai rocks, by the way)

Turkey

Germany

England

Spain

Italy

Kuwait

Bahrain

northern Canada

and five different states for short-term TDYs

All within the course of a few years! I was never, ever home!

Not everyone goes to Minot (and believe me, I'm a Navy brat - the Navy's got a couple of real winners as well) and not everyone goes to the front lines. I've got friends - Air Force nurses - whose deployments consisted of four to six months aboard the USS Comfort, the hospital ship, with full sea pay, hostile fire pay, and all of it tax free; while I know Navy RNs who spent six to eight months in Afghanistan. Go figure.

Killeen - yeah, I drove through there once. Ouch. :) But that's OK - I did time at Altus, OK, just down the road from Ft Sill!

My point is - it depends. It depends on where you get sent - they all have little-known secrets that no one talks about, believe me - anyone for Lakehurst (lived there - ugh - four years of my life I'll NEVER get back!) NAS, in New Jersey - any takers? The best assignments in the world can make you the most miserable if you let them.

Altus wasn't so bad. It could have been worse - personally after living there I'd prefer to stay out of Hawaii, so that would have been worse for me. Every assignment is what you make it - even Killeen (and I know Killeen's no party, believe me).

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.... I always am in culture shock when people refer to 'front lines' as simply being in Iraq or Afg...

I accept that as part of the job or an expectation. Nurses are 99.9% not on what is considered a front-line, nor should they be unless you have a larger problem ;)

The fact is there is some danger whenever you are deployed but is largely minimal when compared to those actually on the "front lines". Some will feel offended by this - but there is a disparity between the 90% of those deployed that will operate to support the remaining smaller percentage that take care of business. Does this mean 1 is more important then the other? No both but are necessary... but to diminish the danger, stress, work of those grunts, engineers and others outside the wire would be in poor taste.

Both navy and army have great options. I would look at the locations of primary hospitals, I would look at the general job classifications available, I would look at 'who do you know' as soldiers or sailors and to you tend to like being around.

Aside from that I say both are great choices and almost comes down to a personal preference. best of luck.

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