Nursing Degree Through The Army?

Specialties Government

Published

Hello everyone,

I am currently a pre-nursing student about to apply for a BSN program at the end of November. I am, however, thinking of an alternative path of joining the Army but still continuing my pursuit of being a nurse. Is there anyone who is aware of programs that will let me be in the Army but continue my nursing education at the same time?

My ultimate goal is becoming a Nurse Anesthetist but getting a BSN and RN license through the Army is my first goal.

Please let me know!

Thank you ?
shin_eee

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to the Government/Military discussion forum

Your best bet is to meet with a medical specialties recruiter. I did this and was told about a program in place at that time. Make certain you speak to the medical recruiter, as a run of the mill recruiter will most likely just try to get you to enlist with a vague promise.

@caliotter3 Thank you so much for your input! I am planning to meet with a medical recruiter today if I can ?

If you do decide to enter the service after being advised by the recruiter, make certain that you read every letter of your contract word for word to make certain that what they assure you is what ends up on the papers you sign. Here is a personal example of "read the fine print" and "read it before you sign": I bought a house one time and told the agent and the financial person that there were two things that I wanted, and I was very specific. I was assured I would get what I wanted. I skimmed through the boiler plate of the mortgage paperwork and signed. Well, I didn't read it word for word and did not run anything by an attorney. I found out the hard way that I had signed paperwork that did not have those two items. Could I do anything about it when I found out the real deal? Not really. That was a very hard lesson in "read what you are signing". Just because a recruiter tells you what you want to hear does not mean that it will get into your contract.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

If you join the Army to pursue nursing, you will delay your goal. There is a program for soldiers after a few years of service (https://recruiting.army.mil/aecp/), but it is highly competitive. If you want to serve in the Army as a nurse, I would look at ROTC opportunities during your BSN program — that is more of a sure thing than the AECP program. If you just want someone to pay for your school and you aren't interested in serving, look elsewhere.

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