Navy Nurse being stationed on other branches' bases?

Rnaf · Apr 10, 2013

Anything is possible but I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm AF stationed at an Army base but my orders were for the local AF base. I'm an AF OR nurse and I can't be stationed at the Joint base Pearl Harbor Hickam but an AF med surg nurse could. The variables for your scenario are endless.

chaplngrillsgt · Apr 10, 2013

So why could med/surg get stationed there but not OR?

Rnaf · Apr 16, 2013

Don't let the name joint base confuse you. Until (if ever) there is one medical command for the military each branch will work primarily separately. The Navy has primary command at Hickam and 100% staffs the OR nurses. Each military branch has control of the slots (jobs). There are no AF slots in the OR at Hickam, therefore, you can not work as an OR nurse at Hickam if you are AF.

I think you are in for a nightmare with one being AF and one being Navy. The AF will do their best but will not guarantee the same base for military to military. Now you want them to coordinate with the Navy for PCS, deployments,etc for you both....they don't call it red tape for nothing. Also, the more specific you are in your specialties the less bases that are available to you. In the AF, med surge nurse...alot of bases you can work at, OR nurse, not so many( as an example ). Remember the needs of the AF and Navy will come first and that is not just talk.

Rnaf · Apr 16, 2013

A couple of more things. If you do work at one of the "joint" bases, remember if you are Navy your performance reviews will be done by Navy even if you work directly for an AF officer. Need time off, your departmental direct AF commander will not be the approval you need, it will be a Navy OIC that will ok it ( even if you don't work with/ for them directly)...at least in my case this is how it has been done. You can see where joint base is sometimes in name only. Yes, we work together but we are two completely different branches and follow our own branch rules and regulations while working together for better or worse.

Also, concerning your example above about switching jobs....I think the big key here is a Navy Captain (which is an AF Colonel equivalent) did the switch.

chaplngrillsgt · Apr 17, 2013

Interesting, seems like a lot of unnecessary red tape for a medical professional who does the same job regardless of the branch. Thank you very much for the insight, it will help in my decision on which branch I want to join.

DSchulte99 · Apr 17, 2013

Notify the detailer of this right away and if you can find out who your wife's detailer will be so you can provide him that information.

PineappleCrush · Apr 18, 2013

My husband and I are both nurses and we tried to join the Navy Nurse Corps together but he was accepted and I wasn't (he's ICU, I'm Med/Surg and the Med/Surg board filled before they could even review my kit! But they will see me again next year until they accept me!!).

What the recruiters/detailers were telling us was that they had a 50 mile radius that they HAVE to put you in. Us both being nurses is a little more simple than your situation, but I would think it would be somewhat similar. For example, they told us that one could get stationed at the San Diego Medical Center and the other could get stationed at Camp Pendleton. Not exactly what we would hope for, but the 50 mile radius thing was comforting that we wouldn't get stationed in completely separate states or something. No guarantees, though, you're here for the Navy (or whatever branch you choose to join), and your wife is there for the Air Force. Definitely check out joint bases and whatnot. My husband is stationed at Walter Reed in Bethesda and apparently they have Navy, Army AND Air Force nurses there, which I didn't know that they stationed Air Force there, but they do! One of the pluses of this area, though, is that there are literally a TON of bases in the area for every branch (definitely within 50 miles of each other), so perhaps Bethesda/D.C. might be an option you two could pursue?

Good luck, though, and make sure you make BOTH of your detailers know what's going on!!! Things can very easily fall through the cracks if you're not vigilant and keeping up on your recruiters and detailers about your situation.

DSchulte99 · Apr 18, 2013

If you're two navy nurses or at a command that accepts other branches you can be at the same hospital just different floors.

Navywifeim · Apr 27, 2013

my husband and I are both active navy he is enlisted and I go to ODS in 2 weeks. my husband was able to change jobs but we were supposed to go to Hawaii and my detailer was wiling to send me to Tripler because I'm an experienced RN. my husband wanted to go to flying fire scouts and so we are going to San Diego because my detailer went over to his detailer and out ranked him and told him to send my husband to San Diego. lol so it can be done that you can be stationed at another branch hospital but not until you have experience.

chaplngrillsgt · Apr 27, 2013

my husband and I are both active navy he is enlisted and I go to ODS in 2 weeks. my husband was able to change jobs but we were supposed to go to Hawaii and my detailer was wiling to send me to Tripler because I'm an experienced RN. my husband wanted to go to flying fire scouts and so we are going to San Diego because my detailer went over to his detailer and out ranked him and told him to send my husband to San Diego. lol so it can be done that you can be stationed at another branch hospital but not until you have experience.

Very interesting. I would be curious on how often commands will accept nurses from other branches. I suppose having rank and experience will make it so much easier either way.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · May 3, 2013

A dual services couple's ability to be stationed at the same facility will depend on if the other service is authorized slots at that facility.