Sparticus391

She was out of JB Lewis-McCord I believe. Some people here in Ft Sam knew her.

Preaching to the choir

I agree with you. At some of these MEDCEN's I hear about brass who make a GS position just so they can take it once they retire. I understand the whole "take car of our own" mentalitiy. Police and firefighters have that mentality too. But there should still be a vetting process so the most qualified person gets the job, not the one who knows the HR manager.

Hey guys, NIU nursing Alum class of 2011 here. Hope you guys get in. So here's an insider tip if you're interested. Army ROTC there gets 2 slots in each nursing class they can use to bypass the application process as long as you meet the minimum requirements. But if you get in on your own good luck. Hardest classes will be Med Surg 2 and OB-GYN, at least for me. We always maintained a >95% NCLEX first time go rate there so you will be prepared before you leave there. Good luck.

Just a heads up to all the new army nurses coming in. I believe Lunah brought up that fact that the Army Nurse Corps is downsizing (they're saying we are at 150% strength), with that, they are increasing the time to promote. Before hand it took 18 months to get 1LT, now its 24 months. 38 months for CPT before, now they are saying 48 months. So you can do your initial 4 year obligation without making CPT by no fault of your own other than not wanting to get out. So keep that in the back of your mind.

Hey thanks for the quick responses. And yes I am currently a RN. As for my experience and what I want to do. So far I have about 2 years of surgical experience (post op not OR) and right now I'm looking to be a WTU case manager. Just seeing if the civilian world cares if I was an army nurse or not. Also to clarify. My deployment was when I was a medic. I have yet to deploy as a RN

Hi, I'm currently at a level one trauma surgical unit. I'm near the point of my army career when I need to start thinking about what to do when I near my ETS date if I want to stay or get out. I was curious how civilian hospitals rate military experience. By that time I'll have 3 years of combat medic experience with a deployment and 4 years of nursing experience. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

1. TX for the Army 2. MED/SURG 3. 1.5 years (Rank: 1LT) 4. $35.50/h including housing money for TX (assuming I work only 40 hours a week and no other army stuff are needed) 5. No bonuses. 6. Unions? Thats definately NOT allowed in the military!

You can be a RN with a 2 year program. 4 year nurses sometimes call themselves BSN, they get more nursing leadership training. The Army doesn't accept 2 year nurses any more.

Ahh I got ya. I'm prior service and did ROTC while in nursing school, so if you have any questions feel free to ask or email me at [email protected] Lunah- I just read your 50 things to know while at BOLC, and it was AWESOME. I knew alot from being prior serivce and did AIT at Ft Sam, but great stuff for the Army Newbies out there.

whats the pre bolc course? And how come I haven't heard of this?

Waiting for orders is rough. It was almost as bad as waiting for my Nclex results. I'm currently recruiting nurse cadets for ROTC. I'll be down there on 4Jan.

Hey Teddie. I'm actually going to e at the Jan OBC as well!! I'm getting stationed at Ft Sam also so I'm online aprtment shopping right now. I'm sure I'll see you around. Look for Lesko. :)

Since I just graduated and commissioned as an Army nurse after 4 years of ROTC I can shed some light on that program since I'm not seeing much on here. ROTC helped me alot and gave me plenty of leeway when it came to my studies in nursing school. Other than PT (physical training) and field exercises (one weekend a semester) we were pretty much left alone. Benefits wise vary form state to state but in Illinois all scholarship cadets got their tuition AND their room and board covered (or you received a substantial check for an apartment if you lived off campus). On top of that you receive a monthly stipend of up to $500 a month as a senior. Now thats just for all cadets. As a nurse cadet, we received a $250 Littmann Cardiology 3 stethoscope. All our testing fees for nclex got reimbursed (for the 1st time, if you fail, it's on you). Select cadets also get to do a month paid internship in the summer between 3rd and 4th year at an Army hospital as far as hawaii and germany (I got Texas in August -_- ). I got placed in a surgical ICU and got to do more things that month than I ever did in clinicals. All and all it was a great experience and learned a lot about being a leader. The Army is a great organization and wouldn't want to work anywhere else. PS - O also have 3 years and a combat medic so maybe I'm biased about the Army.

Well i guess this is my first post on this site. I have been reading alot of the posts lately. But recently i've decided to pursure being a RN. I currently have 2 years left in the army. And i am a medic and also in Iraq. My issue would be what kind of nursing career to pursue. I guess i would be most suited for working in the ER since i've had experiance with trauma, however i dont think i want to deal with trauma my entire life. So i was wondeirng if anyone else has been a medic prior to becoming a nurse and what kind of career they choose. I appreciate any info u guys and gals can give me. Thanks again.