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.
@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?
I officially started putting my packet together in Nov. of '22. My packet was turned in Oct. of '23. I was notified by the board in January of '24, commissioned April then left to ODS in May. It was a lengthy process.
Hi, it's been my childhood dream to serve in the navy on a ship... I'm starting my bachelors in nursing this August. I really want to join the navy, but would it be better to wait until I graduate? I know of the bachelorette program the navy supplies, but I'm not sure if it's only for certain paths or if it includes nursing. I would like to attend the college I'm going to and join the navy as an officer and be a navy nurse, but would it be better to enlist earlier?? Because some of these comments said it took 1-2 years before they were able to serve as a nurse... so maybe if I joined earlier, by the time I graduated I could start nursing w/o waiting those 2ish years?? IDK, what's your guy's advice??
Important to point out that almost nobody in the Navy serves as an RN on a ship. Almost everybody is working at a military hospital on land. Once in a while you might get a special assignment on a ship. Once in a while you might get a humanitarian mission on one of the two hospital ships. If you want to serve, then of course do it. Just know that it'll almost definitely be on land 95% of the time.
Don't enlist. It makes things harder and take longer. Go to college and do ROTC as a nursing student. You commission as an O-1/Ensign on graduation.
Congratulations on finally making it to your first assignment at Pendleton. How's Navy nursing so far, how are you liking med-surg? How was your experience at ODS?
I'm an RN with 7 years of experience (ED, Cath lab) , currently waiting for board results, I am expecting to get results back mid August. I started this process March 2024- Completed the application, MEPS, credentialing in 4 months. My recruiter has been amazing to work with during this process.
Specializes in New Nurse, USN Nurse Corps Applicant.
@Mariaurora Congratulations on starting school! I have been in the Navy for 10 years on the enlisted side doing nothing related to Nursing. I have about 4 years on active duty and the rest in the reserves. I got my BSN 2 years ago and tried to enter into the Nurse Corps right after I graduated and was denied because I had no experience. At that time I learned about the Navy Nurse Candidate Program, Here is a description that I took from the Navy's website "If you're a nursing student opting to serve full-time in the Navy, you may get up to $34,000 to help pay your way through nursing school through the Nurse Candidate Program (NCP)." The program gives you money for school and I believe a monthly stipend and after you graduate you got right into the Navy Nurse Corps as an Officer. I heard about this program to late but this would be an option if you are looking to go into the Navy right after you graduate. I'm sure there is more to the NCP program so I would reach out to a recruiter and ask for more information. Hope this helps and goodluck!
Gosh I have so many questions! I'm currently a new graduate nurse with a CA license and less than a year of experience with Peds ICU. I've been considering the navy for a while now.
1) How much does the ODS/Being an Officer in the navy change you? People really like me for my sensitivity and openness (and I do too). I'd rather not lose those qualities. Will the navy gut those qualities? Since I'm a nurse, I'm hoping to keep those as they're super important for bedside manner.
2) How long did the entire process from the moment y'all talked to a recruiter to the time you were day 1 ODS? Did you guys work during this time period?
3) I really would like to work in the Neonatal ICU/Peds, but I totally understand and accept that I'll be placed where I'm needed. How can you really solidify your desire to work specialty? Does your experience factor in?
4) I really would rather work in a land hospital - preferably in San Diego since I'm a California local. Is there a way to really land your desired station? If so, what can I do to potentially solidify San Diego?
5) I've been super worried about deployments - mostly to war stricken areas. I know it's more so the anxiety of being in a dangerous position. Talking to my father who was a corpsman in the navy, he said that in deployments should you be needed, he was mainly in the field hospital miles from the front. To those who've experienced that, what was it like? How'd you get over your anxiety? What were ways you really maintained your mental health? It's certainly not a dealbreaker for me, I'd just rather get all the information.
6) IDK if this was answered, but how do the nursing shifts factor into responsibilities of a navy officer? What's it like working your nursing shift? I heard it's practically the same as a civilian nurse.
6A) Similar to question 6, after the navy, did your experience help you land a job, particularly in specialty units? Just wondering post-navy how the civilian job search helped? I'd mainly be returning to Los Angeles for this - again working in the NICU/Peds CVICU.
Lastly, any advice y'all could give me as I research more about this potential life-altering decision, I'd very much appreciate it!
Gosh I have so many questions! I'm currently a new graduate nurse with a CA license and less than a year of experience with Peds ICU. I've been considering the navy for a while now.
1) How much does the ODS/Being an Officer in the navy change you? People really like me for my sensitivity and openness (and I do too). I'd rather not lose those qualities. Will the navy gut those qualities? Since I'm a nurse, I'm hoping to keep those as they're super important for bedside manner.
2) How long did the entire process from the moment y'all talked to a recruiter to the time you were day 1 ODS? Did you guys work during this time period?
3) I really would like to work in the Neonatal ICU/Peds, but I totally understand and accept that I'll be placed where I'm needed. How can you really solidify your desire to work specialty? Does your experience factor in?
4) I really would rather work in a land hospital - preferably in San Diego since I'm a California local. Is there a way to really land your desired station? If so, what can I do to potentially solidify San Diego?
5) I've been super worried about deployments - mostly to war stricken areas. I know it's more so the anxiety of being in a dangerous position. Talking to my father who was a corpsman in the navy, he said that in deployments should you be needed, he was mainly in the field hospital miles from the front. To those who've experienced that, what was it like? How'd you get over your anxiety? What were ways you really maintained your mental health? It's certainly not a dealbreaker for me, I'd just rather get all the information.
6) IDK if this was answered, but how do the nursing shifts factor into responsibilities of a navy officer? What's it like working your nursing shift? I heard it's practically the same as a civilian nurse.
6A) Similar to question 6, after the navy, did your experience help you land a job, particularly in specialty units? Just wondering post-navy how the civilian job search helped? I'd mainly be returning to Los Angeles for this - again working in the NICU/Peds CVICU.
Lastly, any advice y'all could give me as I research more about this potential life-altering decision, I'd very much appreciate it!
1. As a Navy officer you are leading or training to lead sailors. Your openness and sensitivity are leadership qualities. Just remember you are leading PEOPLE not ROBOTS. If your personality takes care of your sailors and gets the job done, then you're good to go.
2. I applied during nursing school, so it took me about 1.5 years from start to ODS Day 1. Generally, the more certifications, medical issues (if any), or anything in your background check may delay the process. Also depends how good and motivated your recruiter is.
3. If you want a specialty right out of the gate, try and have your certification for the desired unit (ex. CCRN). Do not sign any contracts with the recruiter unless you have the subspecialty code you want. Please be warned that even if you do have that subspecialty code, you will be cross trained into other units and float.
4. You can try to negotiate with your detailer but it's a gamble. A lot of people want San Diego because of the location.
5. I've never been deployed I've only been in a few months. Look into the different platforms (NMRTC vs EMF vs MedBattalion etc…).
6. I'm an ENS so the Navy wants me to learn and get good at my job. Compared to civilian nursing? I'd say it depends where you came from. I briefly worked (< 6 mo.) in a large teaching hospital in West Los Angeles and I'd say Navy nursing is easier due to the lower acuity. I'd also say the patients and my coworkers have been great so far.
So you'd spend 3 years at the san Diego balboa military hospital working peds, duck deployments, then peace out and use it as a resume builder? Not sure the military is the right place for you. You need to be flexible in you doing any job assigned to you well. You need to be motivated by service not by personal gain. I suspect you'd be quite miserable in the military.
Also, the chances of you getting everything on your list (peds, San Diego, no deployments) is close to zero. You might not even get 1 of those things.
So you'd spend 3 years at the san Diego balboa military hospital working peds, duck deployments, then peace out and use it as a resume builder? Not sure the military is the right place for you. You need to be flexible in you doing any job assigned to you well. You need to be motivated by service not by personal gain. I suspect you'd be quite miserable in the military.
Also, the chances of you getting everything on your list (peds, San Diego, no deployments) is close to zero. You might not even get 1 of those things.
I don't know where you're seeing that I said I'll leave after 3 years? I never said anything of the sort, I meant it as WHEN the time comes to leave, how did that transition look?
Again, where did I say I'd "duck" deployments. I think there's a valid source of anxiety to anyone who's not use to that, and that's absolutely okay. Being informed about what to potentially expect is good enough for me.
On this forum, it's obvious that everything isn't guaranteed. It's the military. They'll use you how they see fit. Furthermore, the "you need to be motivated by service" is just nonsense. Obviously it helps and that if your heart is in it, then that's a major plus, but do not sit up there and discredit anyone who's in the military for the sole purpose to get something out of it. Not that I owe you or anyone else an explanation, but I come from multiple generations of veterans from the Navy, and I'd think it be an honor to join them and to serve my country.
In all, your comment was incredibly unhelpful and insulting. Take a step back before coming at someone like that on a forum dedicated to those seeking information/sharing their experience.
1. As a Navy officer you are leading or training to lead sailors. Your openness and sensitivity are leadership qualities. Just remember you are leading PEOPLE not ROBOTS. If your personality takes care of your sailors and gets the job done, then you're good to go.
2. I applied during nursing school, so it took me about 1.5 years from start to ODS Day 1. Generally, the more certifications, medical issues (if any), or anything in your background check may delay the process. Also depends how good and motivated your recruiter is.
3. If you want a specialty right out of the gate, try and have your certification for the desired unit (ex. CCRN). Do not sign any contracts with the recruiter unless you have the subspecialty code you want. Please be warned that even if you do have that subspecialty code, you will be cross trained into other units and float.
4. You can try to negotiate with your detailer but it's a gamble. A lot of people want San Diego because of the location.
5. I've never been deployed I've only been in a few months. Look into the different platforms (NMRTC vs EMF vs MedBattalion etc…).
6. I'm an ENS so the Navy wants me to learn and get good at my job. Compared to civilian nursing? I'd say it depends where you came from. I briefly worked (< 6 mo.) in a large teaching hospital in West Los Angeles and I'd say Navy nursing is easier due to the lower acuity. I'd also say the patients and my coworkers have been great so far.
This was exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for sharing, especially about that certification thing! I'll keep that in mind. Could you go into a bit more detail regarding that subspecialty code?
I'm totally fine not working in San Diego! I suspect that any naval hospital will be virtually similar to each other.
This is my honest assessment based on the types of questions you're asking. The military isn't a place for you. I interview civilians for military accession for another branch and you learn to read the signs.
This is my honest assessment based on the types of questions you're asking. The military isn't a place for you. I interview civilians for military accession for another branch and you learn to read the signs.
I really don't believe you because how can you assume questions online without interacting face-to-face? How can you even assess someone who is seeking questions, a completely different interface from an actual interview? By your "standards", anyone with any hesitation about the military shouldn't apply, which is a ridiculous notion. Again, unhelpful. Honestly expected more from a supposed RN, DNP, CRNA.
justin123560, MSN, RN, EMT-B
78 Posts
I officially started putting my packet together in Nov. of '22. My packet was turned in Oct. of '23. I was notified by the board in January of '24, commissioned April then left to ODS in May. It was a lengthy process.