navy nursing good or bad?

liberty_bell · Feb 11, 2010

A couple of things. First is your AA all general credits your getting? You could still try to go to a CC for nursing. I'm assuming since you said you are about to get your AA from a CC you probably have most if not all pre reqs you would most likely need. True there is a wait at almost every nursing school, but not all. Look more into it because several have lottery type systems and if you have an AA already that may look good.

Another thing, the most you would pay for LVN would be aronnd 30k, and 50k for an RN from a private school. Kapaln college in Vista is 30k for LVN and around 50k for RN in San Diego, you can bypass a long waiting list at these schools, but since you do not want debt perhaps not the best idea.

For the Navy you could join enlsited as a Corpsman and then try to appy for the nursing program. This is really the best deal in the world because if accepted they will pay for all of your nursing school, 100% of that tuition PLUS give you a monthly allowence to live off of. Basically they are paying you to go to school, in return you would need to work as a Navy nurse for I believe 6 years (paid of course, you would be a Navy Corp officer)...BUT...and this is a huge but...to qualify for this program is HIGHLY competitive and is so hard to get!! So you would still be taking the risk of joining the Navy for 5 years (corpsman must join for 5) and if you do not get it then you must complete your 5 years. This wouldn't be all bad though as you would get the "new" gi bill when you get out and it's worth 80k towards school. The other option to become a Navy nurse is to be an RN (must have a bach's degree) and join.

You may want to go talk to a recruiter, but be on your toes if they tell you ,oh yes no problem join and you'll get it, because it's VERY hard to get!!!

As far as Navy reserves I think they only do 2 weeks a year and one weekend a month, I do not know if there are any nursing programs to apply for there. But be careful of the reserves too. Many people get called to active duty, so just be prepared that can happen. You may get the GI bill for reserves though which could get pay for school. Best to talk to a recruiter.

LVN-RNhopeful · Feb 13, 2010

I was a Navy Corpsman. I enlisted in the Navy after completing my BS. The Navy even offered to pay for me to go to Nursing School so I could get a commission in the Nurse Corps, but at the time I really didn't think I wanted to be a nurse. Strangely however, I really wanted to be a Corpsman. After completing my training and working as a Corpsman for about a year, I realized that I really did want to be a Nurse. I was going to apply for a few of the Commissioning programs the Navy offers, but then I decided I didn't want to commit more time to the Navy - I just wanted to do my 5 and get out. I loved my time in the Navy, and I'm grateful that I had that experience. Since I was a Navy Corpsman I was able to challenge the NCLEX-PN and get my LVN license without having to go to LVN school. And since I was an LVN I only had to wait about 8 months to get into the LVN-ADN program at my local CC, rather than waiting 2-3 if I was applying to the generic ADN program. I'll be graduating this spring.

The Navy's not for everyone, but if you want to get some awesome on-the-job training, work with some great people and experience things that you never would experience in a normal existence, the Navy is quite an experience. While it's taken me much longer to reach my goals, the Navy was a great stepping stone for me and I loved the adventure. It's not for everyone, but I had a really great experience. Not to mention, I'm using my GI Bill to pay for school and daycare costs for my kids. Can't beat a free education :)