Here's my clear and concise background. I graduated with my BSN in December 2010. I work in the MICU that has 10 beds, but the total number of ICU beds in the hospital I work for is 30. I am 23 and have no medical or criminal problems. I don't have my CCRN because I haven't met the experience requirement yet.
I have been working on my packet with my medical recruiter since late 2008. We had everything completed and turned in by October 2010. I was not chosen in December 2010.
My medical recruiter contacted me in January 2011 to tell me a few details about the application process this past year when I applied. I'm not sure how much of this is true, but this is what he told me. He said that the Navy only took in 75 nurses this time around and there were several more nursing applicants than in the past. Once again, I was not one of them. I'm not really surprised because I didn't even have my license by that time. Anyways, he went on to say that the next time I could apply would be in June. However, he promised me that when he met with the Navy Nursing Program Director in February, he would ask questions about what to expect for the upcoming fiscal year.
So he meets with the Program Director and asks specific questions about nursing, and there is hardly any good news. However, he was able to get some information about nurses that are currently working in critical care, like I am. What he was told was that if you are a critical care nurse trying to get into the Navy as a critical care nurse, then your application process is a little bit different. He was told that critical care nurses, with at least two months of experience, have their applications reviewed monthly, unlike the other nurse applications which seem to be reviewed either bi-annually or annually. Since I work in the ICU right now, this was good news to me.
However, my situation seems to be a lot like other people's situations on here. Since that February 2011 conversation with my medical recruiter, I haven't received a phone call or e-mail from him. I have been the one that has had to be pro-active and contact him. Another one of the things that I think is starting to be echoed around all of these forums whether it's on Facebook or Allnurses.com is the Navy's new-found selectiveness and it worries me. I mean 2 years ago the recruiters were trying with all of their might to get people, now they seem to be indifferent at best. What is also discouraging is that in November-December, I could have sworn that the Navy was going to take me. There was not a doubt in my mind. Little did I know about the road that would lay ahead. This experience has left me with these questions:
1.) Can someone verify that the minimum requirement for an ICU nurse to be in the Navy is 2 months?
2.) Can someone verify that ICU nurses have a "rolling" monthly application process in the Navy?
3.) If there is someone that is familiar with the application review process, such as someone on the board that determines who is accepted, would you mind divulging some of the details about the type of person that the Navy is looking for?
Any reply to the post would probably be helpful. However what would be ideal for me, and for the people that don't post on here but stay current on the forums like I used to, would be for someone close to the application process to spill the beans on what is going on. If you are a Medical Recruiter, just say so and give us some details. I'm not the only person out here with these questions so I can promise you that your informations won't fall on deaf ears.
Lastly, I have noticed that some people are confused as to what qualifications are important in order for the navy to accept you. I won't be too specific about my own details, but I can tell you that my GPA was higher than 3.5, I had a full-time job the entire time I was in nursing school, and I was active in several student activities as well as the Vice President of my school's Student Nurse Association . . . . . . . . and I wasn't accepted. But I guess what did count against me was the fact that I didn't have my license just yet. I'll give you guys some update on my situation as time goes on.
P.S.If you're in nursing school right now, DO NOT GET C's! C no longer equals RN. I graduated top-2 in my class and found a job in the ICU immediately. However, I know several people in my class that don't have a job yet and it's four months out from graduation.
