DanznRN

Hey!! Navy here, been so since 1997, making it a grand total of 14+ years. I was a pretty regular contributor for a while about 3-4 years ago, but some personal life issues slowed me down on the site. Well, that a few deployments in there as well. Anyway, been ER/ Trauma the whole time and have ranged the gambit of experiences. Started as a floor nurse in San Diego, then did a few years as ICU in Great Lakes. After that I got out for 11 months and then came back in, went straight to Italy for more floor nursing, but also the Asst. Division Officer. Was selected for DUINS (Duty Under INStruction) and the Navy paid for my Master's as a CNS/ ACNP at the University of Maryland. Been doing the Division Officer/ Head Nurse job for the last 3+ years, so I'm one of the "they" that someone referred to. Also have some unique deployment experiences that were both humanitarian assistance and disaster response. It's all good, been a great experience, you'd be surprised what it takes to run the show behind the scenes, if you don't know, then you have a good leader or a poor communicator, LOL!!! I've got tons of experiences, to include married dual active duty couples and now divorced dual active duty couples, that also includes the 3 kids. So, I've been around the block a bit and happy to help where/ when I can. I'd like to thank Shelby for reminding me that I had a duty to continue helping folks on this forum. Look forward to talking with you all. LCDR Dan

No real way to get a head start with actual materials. However, you can look up class of ships and what there capabilities are. See if you can google uniform regulations, like where/ how to where insignia, etc.,. Most official sites require a secured login, so not easy to get the info. Good luck. LCDR Dan

Gotta agree on the Danners. You pay a bit more up front for sure, but it really pays off. The website referred to above is: http://www.usstandardissue.com You have to fax in a copy of your ID and verify you are military and then they open you an account. I get sunglasses through them about 1/2 price, it's great. LCDR Dan

Kim- Thanks for the thoughts and yes, it will get better. Daunting at first, but better in the end. As for Norfolk, yep she pulls in first part of December, so we'll be around then. LCDR Dan

Jordaa- Glad to hear everything is working out. Once you find out where you are headed, let us know, always good to have friends where you are headed. Smattles- Like it was said above you may or may not have on-call days that you have to plan for. In my ED we do not have an on-call schedule at this point, we're able to make ends meet without out one. Staffing in the Navy has its ups and downs depending on the time of year, so it can happen sometimes. I hear you on the child care deal. Best bet is to work on finding a good and flexible (keyword) sitter when you get to your duty station. Like we talked in the past, you can work on that now so you have stuff lined up before you get there. Good luck, just in Norfolk to drop the Mrs. of for her current deployment. LCDR Dan

I believe MECP will buy you another 4 or 6 year commitment, I'll verify that tomorrow, but it's at least 4 years. As for experiences, I didn't go through it personally, but know several who have. What's not to like in my opinion, you get paid to go to school full-time and they pay for school too. I did the nursing DUINS program for my Mater's and it was the best thing I ever did. LCDR Dan

Wumpus- Standard progression is as follows: 2 years as Ensign 2 years as LTJG 4-6 years as LT That is provided you don't kill anyone and you keep you nose clean. These are pretty much automatic. To get LCDR you have to work for it, be working on your Master's, have good FITREPs, be a good leader. LCDR Dan

md- iraq and afghanistan are not the only 2 places to be deployed right now, there are plenty of missions/ operations going on. those 2 you mentioned are very prominent, but there are others. my wife is currently on the second half of a 6 month deployment to central/ south america for a humanitarian mission. most navy nurse deployments are for 6 - 12 months, just all depends on what you get selected for. lcdr dan

Wumpus- Almost all Navy duty stations are 3 year orders. However, in certain cases you can leave a duty station once you have completed 2 years of those 3 year orders. For instance, my wife and I are both active duty. Currently, she will leave our current duty station a year and a half before me because I went to grad school. She is probably going to extend hear for about 4 months which will make me here for 2 years and then I'll leave here after 2 years instead of 3. Also, if you take a "hotfill" billet, then you can try to leave a duty station in less than 3 years. LCDR Dan

Marc- Some answers to your questions... 1. Is there a timeline/deadline for one to pursue this route? What I mean is, is it required that you apply for DUINS after your first tour (3 yrs) or can you have that option after say 6-8 yrs in the Navy? Nope, no specific timeline, I went to DUINS after having been in for 9 years and after my 3rd duty station. 2. Has anyone gone the DUINS route for Nurse Anesthesia? I realize this is highly competitive in the military as well as civilian route but was wondering what some experiences have been with this. I went for something else, but have had friends that went this route. It's a very time consuming program and you'll be plenty busy. Following graduation, you will be highly deployable. 3. Is it true that while in the DUINS program this is your only job? I.E., you don't do shifts as a nurse during this time as well? Yep, that's all you do is go to school. You still have to take the PFA every 6 months, otherwise it's like being a college kid again, oh but getting paid for it. 4. Is USUHS the only place to participate in the DUINS program at or can you (for example) be stationed at San Diego or some place else and attend a CRNA program where you are currently stationed? Basically, would you be able to attend a school near your current location or would you have to move to attend USUHS? Yes and no. If you go the CRNA route then USUHS is your school. They used to have a 2 places at Georgetown for people to go to, but most all go to USUHS. As for the other DUINS programs, you can just about go anywhere. I went to the University of Maryland, there's a list of schools that people have already gone to that we use as a guide. 5. Will entering into the DUINS program delay a promotion in any way? Nope, I picked up my current rank while in DUINS, doesn't delay it a bit. 6. What is the time committment added on to your current committment after graduation as a CRNA? 4 years? 8 Years? It's 2 years committment for every year of school the Navy pays for. Got to a 2 year grad program and you have 4 years to pay back. Marc Hope this helps. LCDR Dan

I generally use people's posts to answer all the questions: Keep the questions coming and good luck. LCDR Dan

Glenn- Hmmm, not sure where your recruiter is getting his facts, but I looked up some information and the two don't agree. According to the First quarter numbers listed on the Navy Nurse Corps website, our targeted end strength for FY '08 is 2790, the current projection is that we will only be able to fill 2772 of those spots. That leaves a deficit of 192 nurses. If the recruiter is saying the Nurse Corps is at 217%, then that would mean we have over 5544 nurses in the service now. In my 11 years, we have never had that many nurses, not sure where they are getting that from. I would request that the recruiter clarify the numbers with you, something isn't stirring the kool-aid. If they want to know where my numbers are coming from, tell them to visit the Navy Nurse Corps homepage, unfortunately you have to be active duty to see it, and look under the Force Structure section. Hopefully you can get a better answer. LCDR Dan

Hope that helps you out. LCDR Dan

Kelly- There's nothing set in stone, obviously the more years you work in an area the better chance of getting there in the Navy. It will also depend on who the senior nurse of that facility is as well. LCDR Dan

Gonna use Midwest's post to answer all his questions. Hope this helps some, let me know if you need more help. LCDR Dan