Prior service USMC looking to switch to Nurse Corps unsure Navy or Army?

[TRODUSMC]

Hello there just wanted to know of anyone with knowledge between the Nurse Corps in the Army vs Navy. Mainly I am trying to decide which one has a better program, supporting you in continuing education (i.e. to obtaining masters/NP), as well as the need for such jobs in either branch. Any info will help, and I've already spoken with the Army medical recruiting but I want to hear from people with actual experience not someone telling me what I want to hear.

Giovanny

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Moved to our Military Nursing forum for more replies.

[jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA]

I think it's unlikely that you're going to find too many people that have been a nurse in multiple branches. At best you're going to be getting a lot of hearsay.

From what I can tell as a current AD AF nurse, all 3 branches have both tuition assistance (which allows you $4500 per year in part time grad tuition), which is given to everybody, and some kind of full-time graduate education (MSN or DNP) track, which is extremely competitive.

Not sure what your personal goals are. Those tend to be the real reason you would choose one branch over another. If you want to do the ship duty, then go ICU Navy (most Navy nurses serve on land by the way). If you want to do flight, go AF flight or CCATT. If you want to do a lot of the GI Joe stuff, go Army Brigade Nurse or FST; the AF has an MFAST team that's similar.

Otherwise, military nursing is 80% the same across branches. The vast majority of folks are doing civilian-esq nursing care in a brick and mortar facility. The patients just happen to be military, vets, or their families. Unless you're deployed of course.