Nursing in the military without actually joining

ANC_Maj · Jul 7, 2006

The civilians that work at any of the military medical facilities (such as NNMC or WRAMC) take care of the same patients that the military nurses provide care for. The civilian nurses are the glue that hold these facilities together - they are the continuity necessary to keep facilities running. The military staff can turn over as frequently as every 2 years. In the unit I currently am in, I have 73 assigned personnel and only about 25 are active duty.

Hope that helps and thank you for your interest in caring for our wounded warriors!

ANC_Maj

smilin_gp · Jul 7, 2006

Also there are VA hospitals if you are interested in treating older veterans. Many of the vets on the floor where I work are still dealing with vietnam-related wounds and conditions.

DanznRN, RN · Jul 7, 2006

NNMC actually uses quite a few civilian nurses in all areas of the hospital. Your best bet is the areas of ICU/ CCU/ Rehab. These are the areas you will generally find most of the combat casualties.

LT Dan

Corvette Guy · Jul 8, 2006

Hi,
I will get my RN license soon, and I really want to help treat Soldiers wounded in war. However, I have a chronic health condition that is an automatic DQ from joining the military. Is there any way I can work with Soldiers without actually joining the military? I have read that military hospitals like Walter Reed and the Naval Medical Center employ lots of civilian nurses, but what kinds of patients do these nurses see? Should I look into the Red Cross or similar organization? Basically, I'd just like to know if I can help nurse/treat Soldiers wounded in war even though I can't join the Nurse Corps myself. Thank you!

Your awesome! BTW, apply with a civilian nurse recruiter at any Army Medical Center for a direct hire GS RN position. You will be a Federal employee & provide nursing care to AD, Dependents, Veterans, and Retirees. You would work right along with Army nurses.

dragonfly123 · Jul 8, 2006

Cool. So it sounds like I could work at an Army Medical Center. Would this ever entail going overseas, or is that just for medical personnel in the military? What is the daily job like at Walter Reed or the Naval Medical Center? Do you work with a lot of war wounded, or do the hospitals provide so much more care - like to dependents, retirees, veterans, etc.? Do military medical centers provide pediatric care? (I want to work with one of two groups of people - soldiers, and kids.)

I basically really want to work with the men and women injured in war. I would love to join the Army and work in a combat hospital, but like I said, medical issues disqualify me from serving. So how would I go about working as closely as possible with active duty troops? I am entering my last year of nursing school, and I have to focus on a "specialty." Should I consider PT or something?

Sorry I realize I am mixing up Army and Navy left and right...I do know the difference, and I am interested in all military branches equally.

Thank you!

Corvette Guy · Jul 9, 2006

Cool. So it sounds like I could work at an Army Medical Center. Would this ever entail going overseas, or is that just for medical personnel in the military? What is the daily job like at Walter Reed or the Naval Medical Center? Do you work with a lot of war wounded, or do the hospitals provide so much more care - like to dependents, retirees, veterans, etc.? Do military medical centers provide pediatric care? (I want to work with one of two groups of people - Soldiers, and kids.)
I basically really want to work with the men and women injured in war. I would love to join the Army and work in a combat hospital, but like I said, medical issues disqualify me from serving. So how would I go about working as closely as possible with active duty troops? I am entering my last year of nursing school, and I have to focus on a "specialty." Should I consider PT or something?
Sorry I realize I am mixing up Army and Navy left and right...I do know the difference, and I am interested in all military branches equally.
Thank you!

Yes, at Walter Reed you would provide nursing care to Soldiers wounded from overseas.

dragonfly123 · Jul 25, 2006

What about the Red Cross? I know the Red Cross is always looking for volunteer nurses, but I wonder if I could serve in some capacity where I can work in the military sector. Do Red Cross workers still go to combat zones much?

Is it possible to go to a combat zone (i.e. Iraq) without being in the military? I'm not talking about fighting, but maybe being stationed in a hospital over there.

Basically I want to know how I can work with the military without actually joining. I would join in the drop of a hat if I could, but since I can't, I still want to help in whatever way possible!

Thanks!

olivedrab · Aug 31, 2006

You will be a Federal employee & provide nursing care to AD, Dependents, Veterans, and Retirees. You would work right along with Army nurses.

is the pay scale for civilian nurses and army nurses working side by side at army hospitals the same? :nurse:

NursePamela · Sep 1, 2006

Being a prior GS, I will tell you - No the pay scale is not the same. The scale was raised not too long ago but Active Duty still make more. At the time I was a GS working along AD nurses and my take home was equal to an E-4. Like I said there has been a pay raise but still not as good as AD. Plus if I had to go to a doctors appt or something I was off without pay or had to use my vacation time. Where as AD did not. Granted there are 2 sides to every story, that is the brief version. :-)

ArmyMSN · Sep 9, 2006

Soldiers get extra compensation that most stateside civil service (GS) nurses do not get - such as housing allowance, food allowance (tax fee). However, civilians overseas may get special housing allowances and cost of living allowances.

Being a soldier RN and a civil service RN is very different. I think its unfair to expect that a civilian nurse would expect the same pay as a military nurse, even if they are working "side-by-side" -

Soldier nurses are called to deploy to war zones - often are asked (told) to work more hours, can be placed "on-call" when staffing is tight, can be called in on their days off to cover their work area, often have little or no choice in their job assignments.

I work with GS-9 BSN nurses and they make approximately $45,000-55,000 not including housing and cost of living allowance (I'm currently overseas).

You can visit governmental websites to determine pay. Most RNs are GS-9 through GS-11 depending on education/specialties.

twistedpupchaser · Jan 14, 2007

I have been reading this thread and have an interest in this area myself. Last year I was lucky enough to visit a US hospital ship that was visiting Australia and was impressed with the facilities and the mission it had just finished. I was told that the hospital ships do a trip each year to third world areas and also that they hire civilian staff to complement the ships crew.

I have an interest in doing this type of nursing and was wondering if any past or present crew know if they take "non US" personnel?

My other concern is my military background, although allies and firm friends, would the US Navy have a problem with a former Australian Soldier applying?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.