Navy Nurse Reserve with prior enlisted service

Specialties Government

Published

Honorably discharged as corpsman, and am now tring to get in to naval reserve as a nurse. I got my BSN outside US, and was wondering if navy will accept me as a nurse. I now work as an ICU nurse for 2 years and have a total of 5years as a nurse. Thanks

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

Was your school based in the U.S.? What matters is that your BSN is through a U.S. based nursing school with the proper U.S. accreditation. Foreign nursing schools will not have those accreditations and will make you ineligible.

Your best option is to get an 'easier' MSN from a U.S. school, such as informatics, education, or leadership/management. Many of those are as short as 32 credits.

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Thank you for your reply. I was thinking it was ok since i was able to use my gibill when i went to that school. I have another question: i was thinking of getting my mba instead of msn. Would that help me get into navy as a nurse? Or do i have to get an msn? Thanks

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I have another question: i was thinking of getting my mba instead of msn. Would that help me get into navy as a nurse? Or do i have to get an msn? Thanks

You will need an MSN.

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

You need the MSN, because your BSN in effect doesn't count. There are dual MSN/MBA programs that may interest you. Just make sure the MSN has the correct accreditation.

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If i obtain my MSN and join, will i be able to do bedside or will i be working as management? Thanks

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

You'll definitely do bedside care initially. How quickly you do management is a function of what rank you enter as, your clinical role (RN or NP), and you location (the smaller the hospital/clinic, more quickly you manage people). A factor in determining that rank is your degrees and the other is full time RN experience.

If you have an MSN (in education, leadership, or informatics) and at least 4 years of full time RN experience, you enter as an O-3. In that case, you would be likely writing performance reports on a couple of people after a few years. You would not do this full time until O-4 probably, which comes 6ish years after O-3.

Privileged providers (CRNAs, NPs, CNMs) stay bedside for longer.

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