Navy vs. Air Force vs. Army Trauma/ OR Nursing

[kgbartolome93]

Hi everyone. Can anyone provide any personal insight on the nursing field within these branches? Currently, I am a freshman in college contemplating which ROTC program to join and get my BSN. I plan on becoming an officer in one of the branches. I don't care much for the length of deployment, pay, where I'm stationed, etc. I just really want to engage in surgery and/or trauma nursing. I don't want to be sitting in some hospital far away from the battle field per se. I want to be there to help operate on soldiers who are recently injured. Which branch do you think is more appropriate? I know the green side of Navy Corpsman is a possible option where they assist Marines on the battle field. However, I would prefer to work in an operating room near the war zone as opposed to literally on the field.

Thanks

[Hawkeye Pierce <3]

The war is over. There may be a new one by the time you graduate(God forbid) but for right now they are cutting back and nobody is seeing much action. When there is action to see the Army is the branch to see it. Stereotypically Navy deploys the most and Air Force the least. They aren't going to let a new nurse fresh out of school in the ICU. You'll likely start in med/surg and I've heard you shouldn't expect to deploy until after a few years.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

for right now they are cutting back and nobody is seeing much action.

Army nurses are still deploying. I know a few who are deployed now, and more who will be in a few months.

[Hawkeye Pierce <3]

Service members will always be deploying I just meant s/he shouldn't expect to see the action they were seeing 5 years ago, especially by the time s/he graduates. At least I *hope* we could stay away from another conflict for 4 or 5 years.

[kgbartolome93]

I appreciate your insight you guys. While I certainly hope that the U.S doesn't engage in any more international conflicts, I certainly do not favor staying in a domestic base for 4 years doing rather non-life threatening treatments and operations . Is it possible to do humanitarian efforts in a foreign base should I be deployed if there is minimal or no conflict? Do you guys know what other services I could potentially do as a prospective trauma/ OR nurse in case there are minimal to no conflicts?

[Hawkeye Pierce <3]

Any where you start out(civilian or military) a new grad will not be starting in the ICU. Miltary: count on not being in the ICU, civilian: it is possible you could start in ICU but very unlikely. So if you want to make military your life career than stick out the med/surg in the states and you will get deployed eventually. If you are not set on being in the military you could try "Doctors without Boarders" they have a nurses branch. It requires 6 months of experience but if accepted you wlll certainly be going overseas and doing humanitarian work if that is your main goal.

[Rnaf]

I'm an AF OR nurse getting ready to deploy for the 3rd time to and honey by the grace of God there won't be another war in a very long time. I expect the tempo to be low key this time versus the my last two deployments as the war is winding down. I hope nobody ever has to see what I've seen with my eyes in this war. I've also gone on 2 humanitarian efforts in the last 6 years and they are not trauma situations. You are mainly there to assist in human deformities( cleft palate, eyes, cysts, etc). You do realize that OR nurses don't perform the surgeries and in the majority of the time aren't even in the surgical field (that's a scrub tech's job). Maybe you need to become a trauma surgeon?

[kgbartolome93]

Thank you for insight Rnaf. So OR nurses aren't even really in the surgical field or at least assisting? Would a scrub tech have more hands on work then in the surgical field? I simply hope to work as much as possible with/around a surgeon. Eventually I plan on becoming a physician assistant in general surgery.