Non military nursing position on base

bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN · May 7, 2015

I used to live near ft hood (army base in Texas). Most of my co-workers were military spouses. There were also nursing positions on post at the various clinics and the post hospital. The managers in these areas know and accept the fact that a military spouse will only be there for a couple of years. It never seemed to be an issue.

Camo-angel · May 9, 2015

A lot of military hospitals will take into consideration you are a military spouse and will hire you for the hospital. It'd kindof like giving special consideration to the fact you have to move, making it difficult to find work sometimes

BeccaznRN, RN · May 9, 2015

My husband is AD Navy. Aside from our current tour in Germany, I have always been able to find employment at the local (civilian) hospitals pretty easily. If you have some good experience under your belt, you shouldn't have a problem finding a nursing job in the States (overseas is a whole other animal). Most Navy assignments are anywhere from 2-4 years, and a hospital would be glad to have an experienced nurse for that amount of time. If you are a new grad, you'll probably be a lot more challenged to find work.

Don't count on getting hired on (even with spousal preference) at military facilities - the competition is fierce and one usually has to have substantial contacts in order to even be considered. And unless you plan to stick around long enough to take advantage of the retirement benefits, the pay is substantially lower than what civilian hospitals pay.

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 10, 2015

And unless you plan to stick around long enough to take advantage of the retirement benefits, the pay is substantially lower than what civilian hospitals pay.

Depends on where you are. In some areas, the military hospital pay is substantially higher than civilian hospitals. It just varies.