Navy Nurse 2024

Specialties Government

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Hello 🙂 

I was recently accepted to the Navy Nurse Corps and I'm making this thread in hopes to connect with other nurses who are or already have been. I just found out my first duty station will be Camp Pendleton and my ODS start date is Oct 6th, 2024! I always enjoy reading people's experiences and conversations about this topic but have not come across any recent posts. 

I'm currently a stem cell/cellular therapy RN with 1.5 year experience. I'm soo excited for this upcoming adventure. 

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Specializes in PACU, ER, Military, Critical CARE, Psych.

Welcome to the fleet! Pendleton is a great place to start. Did you get some earned time for already being a nurse? I was a working nurse before I went in and it was great to have a bit of a leg up. Will you be med-surg? I've gotten out but I have friends at Pendleton who live in Oceanside. Let me know what questions you have. 

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I'm currently at ODS and will be starting at Camp Pendleton next month ! Welcome. 

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Sw88tpea said:

Welcome to the fleet! Pendleton is a great place to start. Did you get some earned time for already being a nurse? I was a working nurse before I went in and it was great to have a bit of a leg up. Will you be med-surg? I've gotten out but I have friends at Pendleton who live in Oceanside. Let me know what questions you have. 

They gave me 8 months, 22 days so that was a surprise I didn't think I'd get any for being under 2 years of experience. I assume I'll be M/S but the detailer said it could change when I get to Pendleton based on what their needs are. I'll be happy wherever at this point 😂 thank you for responding...

Being single w/o dependents, would you suggest it's a good idea to live off base? 

Did you ever get presented with an opportunity to deploy on the USS Comfort or Mercy while you were active? 

How many years did you do, if you don't mind me asking? 🙂 

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justin123560 said:

I'm currently at ODS and will be starting at Camp Pendleton next month ! Welcome. 

Congratulations! I hope it's going well and wishing you the best for the rest of your time there. 
I see you have a MSN, what specialty will you be going into? Are you planning to live off base? 
 

Keep me updated on ODS if you think about it! I would love to know more about how it's going, I can never have too much information 😅

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Specializes in PACU, ER, Military, Critical CARE, Psych.
Scoontz said:

They gave me 8 months, 22 days so that was a surprise I didn't think I'd get any for being under 2 years of experience. I assume I'll be M/S but the detailer said it could change when I get to Pendleton based on what their needs are. I'll be happy wherever at this point 😂 thank you for responding...

 

Being single w/o dependents, would you suggest it's a good idea to live off base? 
 

Did you ever get presented with an opportunity to deploy on the USS Comfort or Mercy while you were active? 
 

How many years did you do, if you don't mind me asking? 🙂 

8+ months is great! Less than a year and a half as a butter bar/ensign. You'll get a raise and promotion at 2 years. I would not live on base but that may be more of a personal preference. I would not live on base, ever. The BAH you'll get will be substantial and if you can find something cheaper (like a roommate scenario) then you'll be pocketing tax free cash. I found a roommate at ODS. 

The USNS Comfort was canceled the year I was in due to "sequestration" / severe budget cuts in 2013/2014. But my friends went on the Mercy the following year and had a great time. 

I just did one 3 year tour at Portsmouth and then went to the reserves for 2 years and then resigned my commission. I would do it again but I don't know that I would stay in past a tour unless it was overseas. Nursing is a lucrative career outside of the Navy especially on the west coast. 

I also met lifelong friends on this website prior to going to ODS, LOL just a heads up. They came in the class after mine and also ended up at the same base. 

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Congratulations!

So glad our paths crossed and I cannot wait to watch your excel in the Navy! 🙂

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just curious how long did your application process took? and were there any hiccups along the way? I just started mine but in the navy reserves, I'm still on the credentialing part. thanks

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floRNda said:

just curious how long did your application process took? and were there any hiccups along the way? I just started mine but in the navy reserves, I'm still on the credentialing part. thanks

Yes, my process took a little under a year. Unsure if you being in the reserves might make it a little quicker for you!

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Specializes in Critical Care / Flight / Cath Lab.

Hey!  I'm finishing my interviews for the Navy NC this week.  MEPS next week.  My recruiter is hoping to have me submitted to the board by the 15th and get me into the Oct 6th ODS.  Fingers crossed. It's been a long 2.5 year process for me. It would be great to connect and see how your process has gone.  

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Scoontz said:

Congratulations! I hope it's going well and wishing you the best for the rest of your time there. 
I see you have a MSN, what specialty will you be going into? Are you planning to live off base? 
 

Keep me updated on ODS if you think about it! I would love to know more about how it's going, I can never have too much information 😅

I will be going into Med-Surg. I am currently living off base about 10 miles from the main gate. Traffic here isn't so bad compared to LA. 

ODS was like Summer camp. 

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Specializes in Critical Care / Flight / Cath Lab.

@justin123560 congrats on finishing ODS and your first assignment.

How long did it take to get commissioned once your packet was sent to the board? 

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