New to Navy, ODS, Portsmouth-need any help?

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Hi there,

I've been a nurse since 2010 and graduated from University of Portland, Oregon. I worked in mental health and with the red cross for a year before applying for the Navy. 13 mos later I found myself at Officer Development School and graduated this February. I'm stationed at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth now and living in Norfolk. I wanted to offer myself as a resource to any of these topics since I felt like I was at a loss for information prior to coming in. Feel free to ask anything about the nursing, the Navy, the application process, duty stations, ODS, Norfolk, etc. Good luck to you and thank you for considering service in the US military.

Travel days depend on your mode of transportation and distance. They do not count as leave. For example if you drive from Rhode Island to San Diego you get 9 days. If you take more then it pulls from your leave. In addition to that when you check in you can request 10 days for house hunting which doesn't pull from your leave.

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What's the nurse patient ratio? Do you have CNA's?

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Specializes in Psych, Critical Care, ER, Military.
Sw88tpea - how much of that info did you have prior to leaving for ODS? I know that I will have some time before I leave and trying to figure out if I should attempt to find a place before and I could also move my car before ODS and then I would be flying directly to my duty station and allow me to reduce the travel time.

Thanks again for all your info!

I guess I felt I had all that info. I had my household goods moved prior to ODS. They were put into storage at my ultimate duty station in Virginia. I had my motorcycle shipped with my HHG. I flew into RI early and purchased a car (my first one). I took my car to ODS and then drove to Virginia. You could drive your car to ODS-you will get reimbursed for gas and lodging, your recruiter should arrange this.

I did not have a place to live prior to ODS. I found a roommate at ODS and him and I found a place to live about 7 days after arriving in Virginia. We stayed at the Navy Lodge until then on the Navy's dime (they pay up to 10 days then you just get BAH). After finding my place I had my HHG delivered, I think I remember it taking less than a week. In the meantime I borrowed an air matteress and kitchen supplies from Fleet and Family Services. Overall I was pleased and impressed with the process.

DSchulte99 is right about the travel days-they do not count as leave. You are expected to arrive in uniform and have your ordered stamped at your next duty station the following day. Often your command is expecting you to be at work by the Monday after ODS if you are stationed on the East Coast. You're welcome to PM more about this!

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Specializes in Psych, Critical Care, ER, Military.
What's the nurse patient ratio? Do you have CNA's?
It is different at every facility. I work at one of the three big Naval Medical Centers in Portsmouth, Virginia. I work on a critical care ward (stepdown) where I have 2-5 patients and am assigned a corpsman who can do more than a CNA. Upstairs on the med-surg wards, one of the wards has RNs with 4-8pts, and an LPN and a corpsmen on your team. Corpsmen can essentially be assigned to do whatever you train them up to (except IV meds, pull naroctics and work with central lines).
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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Military Nursing.

Just to clarify some things that corpsmen can do; what they can do all depends on where you work. Corpsmen in the ICU can do much more than corpsmen who work on stepdown or L&D units and vice verse. My corpsmen can work with central lines, push IV meds, etc. Just don't abuse the corpsmen. They are there to learn from nurses how to take care of those people downrange. They are not there to do the nurses work for them. Remember that. Too often do I see the nurses complain that the corpsmen are not doing what the nurses tell them to do, Whilst the nurses sit back and surf the internet all day.

Just trying to state all the facts and start you out right is all. Good luck in your new career.

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Hey BSN-NavyNurse I report to ODS May 12. Thanks everyone for the good information about ODS/Navy Nursing.

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MGNavyNurse,

See you this Sunday at ODS! :-)

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sw88tpea if someones duty station is in portsmouth what is a good area to live in ?

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Just to clarify some things that corpsmen can do; what they can do all depends on where you work. Corpsmen in the ICU can do much more than corpsmen who work on stepdown or L&D units and vice verse. My corpsmen can work with central lines, push IV meds, etc. Just don't abuse the corpsmen. They are there to learn from nurses how to take care of those people downrange. They are not there to do the nurses work for them. Remember that. Too often do I see the nurses complain that the corpsmen are not doing what the nurses tell them to do, Whilst the nurses sit back and surf the internet all day.

Just trying to state all the facts and start you out right is all. Good luck in your new career.

As the daughter of a late US Naval Corpsman who now rests in Arlington National Cemetery amongst his brothers (and sisters!), also please remember that YOU can learn a lot from the experienced corpsmen you work with. Many of them have infinitely more experience than you. For that matter, you can learn a lot from all your personnel, regardless of what service you're in. And yes, don't abuse them - I agree one hundred percent. :)

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Specializes in Psych, Critical Care, ER, Military.
sw88tpea if someones duty station is in portsmouth what is a good area to live in ?

I live in the Ghent area of Norfolk. I like being able to walk to a good bar, a good grocery store, and being in a neighborhood where people like to do stuff. Note: I don't like suburbia, I don't have dependents, and I don't need a walmart close by.

PORTSMOUTH

-Portsmouth has some OK areas and the rest is bad. The only time I went to a grocery store there, someone was in a fist fight with the security guard.

-I would recommend the neighborhood right outside the back gate of the hospital, I know people that live there.

-Several folks live right outside the hospital in a complex called Myrtles-quick, easy walk to work.

-Or the Olde Towne area is nice and also just a walk to a good bar.

-Pretty much stay north of London BLVD. and east of Elm Ave.

NORFOLK

A lot of folks will talk about the bad traffic. Yes, if you work 8-5 you will hit tunnel traffic. Nurses work 12 hour shifts 07-19 so the most traffic I've ever sat in was an extra 15min for some construction.

-If I could live anywhere I would live in West Ghent, a really nice, developed neighborhood with great neighbors.

-I recommend staying west of HWY 460 and south of 22nd/HWY.

-The Colonial Place neighborhood also seems nice. Some of my friends live at a complex near 38th Ave. called Riverhouse.

-Stay away from Virginia Beach Blvd. Not a good area.

-Downtown is fine, not a lot of grocery options, $$$.

CHURCHLAND

Churchland seems OK too. Driving down HWY 164 is pretty traffic-free. Not sure what's over there.

CHEASAPEAKE

I have a few friends in Chesapeake, they live in complexes with pools. We never really hang out over there though.

OCEANVIEW

My cop friend would say, 'Don't even think about it.' Though I'm sure there are good spots and bad spots.

OCEANFRONT/VIRGINIA BEACH

My friends at the beach hate their commute and wish they lived closer. It's awesome in the summer if you can walk to the beach. It's a tourist/summer-oriented area so for the other 8 months of the year it's completely dead. The only Whole Foods and Trader Joes are out there.

If you would like to know more about any particular area or even specific streets/complexes just let me know. I can tell you or find someone who can tell you more about it!

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GHENT! So nice to hear there's obviously been some gentrification there! I am a Navy brat and my mom grew up in Norview (back before it was the disaster is it now, believe me); my parents actually met in Norfolk. EONS ago my dad was Chief in the pharmacy at Portsmouth Naval. :) My mom went to nursing school at (now Sentara) Norfolk General Hospital back in the 1950s.

Twenty, twenty-five years ago Ghent was NOT nice. Glad to hear it's not that way any more.

Sorry - not trying to hijack....your post just made me a little bit homesick.... :) Sometimes I wish I'd gone in the Navy and not the USAF.

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My boyfriend and I will be taking the NCLEX really soon. On a scale of 1-10 how hard did you find it? Did you take a review?

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