New Grad Asking for Some Guidance.

Specialties Government

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Hey! I just recently graduated with a BSN, I passed boards in August '17, and began working on a telemetry/cardiac step-down floor in September.

I have no military background, never did ROTC in college, but I have always thought about joining the military and giving back to my country. I put it off though, because I thought just becoming a civilian nurse would make me feel fulfilled. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I should of went into the military from the start. What are the odds of me getting into the Army Nursing Corps as a new grad? What are the steps I take and how exactly do you go about joining the military with a BSN? I just wanted some background knowledge before I speak to a recruiter. I figured this would be the best place to get it.

Thank you!!

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care.

You should look at the other two branches. I'm not sure the army takes new grads. I would recommend transferring to the specialty area of your choice ASAP. If you can get a year of ICU or ER (or something similar), then you could do that same specialty in the military.

Your first step is to find a healthcare recruiter for the branch of your choice (Army, AF, or Navy) on their websites and ask about direct commissioning opportunities.

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Specializes in 8 years Telemetry/Med Surg, 5 years Stepdown/PCU.

Have you thought about working for VA hospital?

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Another option other than active duty would be working as a civilian on a military base. Caduceus Healthcare is a good company to use. check it out and give them a call. caduceusstaffing.com

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The army will accept new grads for active duty with 1 year of experience for active duty or 6 months for the reserves. Depending on your outside of work activities your gpa will determine how competitive you are against the board. It's a competitivie selection process so explore all your options.

My background: I work on a cardiac step down unit and I got selected in November for the reserves with with almost three years here and my Med surgical certification.

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