Navy vs Army nursing

[Newbi204]

Hello Everyone,

I am currently trying to decide which branch I want to join as a nurse. I am leaning more towards Navy, and as much as I hate to admit it my reasoning is because I like their uniforms better than the Army's. Ridiculous I know, but the Navy just seems to click more to me than the Army...I'm not really sure why. So, I hope that I will be able to compare the differences and make a more concrete and logical decision based on such information.

I have contacted a Navy recruiter, we chatted about my options and pay information and such, so I feel very confident about the things I know...but I when I contacted the Army one, he has yet to get back to me and it's been a week. I intend to recall him again tomorrow, but for now I would like a third party group.

I know there are some threads on here with the same comparisons, but I found as I was reading them they were mostly completely uninformative or biased on their branch (which is a given). I would just like a nice thread with some objective experiences, if at all possible.

Questions:

How different are the work environments between Army and Navy (i.e. bases, field hospitals, ships)?

Is there any real big difference between the Navy and Army nurses (other than solder vs seamen treatment, uniforms, and environment.) ?

Is there a difference in values and standards between Army and Navy nurses?

What makes Navy nursing better than Army nursing?

What makes Army nursing better than Navy nursing?

What was the deciding factor in what made you choose Navy/Army nursing?

Have you ever worked with nurses from other branches?

Is there any pay or benefit differences between the two branches?

How hard is it to get onto a hospital ship, carrier, or small clinic in the U.S.?

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

How much nursing experience do you have, and are you certified or experienced in a specialty?

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Which uniform are you talking about? The day to day uniform (camo) the Army has is way better than the Army or AF uniforms...way more comfortable and functional. You rarely (maybe once a month) wear any of the dress uniforms.

I'm AF, but there is very little difference between the 3 branches in terms of the day to day nursing grind. Many locations have nurses from multiple services serving alongside each other on the same floor. The biggest difference is location. I'd google military hospitals and see the difference for yourself. Uniform and traditions are different, but they aren't a huge factor for me personally. Another big one is career opportunities. The AF has most of the flight nursing roles. The Army and Navy have some, but it's not very common. The Navy has the ship postings, but from what I hear they are hard to get; the vast majority of Navy nurses serve on land. The Army has the brigade nurse role, where you handle education and training of enlisted medics in a brigade; you actually are a part of a combat unit and train/deploy with them (i.e. you might go to airborne school if your unit is an airborne unit).