MikePLSDCA

Hey Keegs--congrats on finishing high school. I actually just finished up ROTC and college myself--I start active duty next month. I'll be attending Army Medical Department Officer Basic Leadership Course (AMEDD OBLC) in San Antonio, TX next month. It should be a breeze after being in ROTC. So really, I can't answer too many questions about being on active duty as an Army nurse, as my only experience was about a month worth last summer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center while I was at Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP), which is actually where they ended up assigning me, so I'll head there after OBLC. When I was in high school I had no idea I wanted to do nursing or be in the Army, so I actually picked up my scholarship after my first year of college. I changed my major 3 times and settled on nursing after hearing about the scholarship, so it took me 4.5 years to finish. In regard to ROTC, they physical stuff was never very difficult for me---and the required physical training (PT) that we had to do in the morning during the week was a bit annoying sometimes, because it wasn't really hard enough to be worth the time (because there were a fair amount of out-of-shape people). Like I said, the field training stuff that we have to learn and get tested on is stuff that we'll probably never use as nurses (knocking out a bunker, setting up an ambush... etc.), so that is a bit frustrating sometimes. But at the same time, a lot of it is fun, because you're kind of "playing soldier." If you're not comfortable getting up in front of people and talking, or taking charge, ROTC definitely helps with that, because you'll more than likely get A LOT of experience doing that. I thought that was pretty valuable. It really trains you to be an officer and leader. ROTC specifically trains you to be a platoon leader. As a new officer in the Nurse Corps, your primary responsibility is to be a RN and to enhance your clinical skills---you won't be a platoon leader like most 2nd Lieutenants. However, you will likely be charge nurse very fast, and then as you progress in rank, be in charge of a floor, etc... As frustrating as ROTC often was, I'm proud to have completed it, because it certainly was not easy a lot of the time. Looking back, it really did teach me a lot, and I'm proud to be a Commissioned Officer in the US Army. Although I still have a lot to learn, I think the tools and skills I learned in nursing school and in college have really prepared me to make a difference for the better---whether that be here in the states, or in a tent somewhere abroad supporting a combat unit.

Keegs--glad to hear you're up for the rigors of the Army, because not many people are! Some of it is a lot of fun, and some of it downright sucks. In reality, the stuff you learn in ROTC is all aimed toward making an Infantry officer (leading missions, shooting guns, helicopters...)---stuff you won't really use in the Nurse Corps for the most part. But it certainly gives you an appreciation for the rest of the Army, and some of the rigors that your fellow soldiers have to go through in their jobs. The ROTC scholarship will only pay for your bachelor's degree, and generally they will only award you a scholarship the will cover however many semesters you need to graduate with your degree. If you're already in college, you'll fill out a CC 104-R form which will show what you will take every semester, and from that they'll determine how many semesters of scholarship to award you. Generally Nursing majors get 4 years worth of scholarship, and that can even be extended a year to 5 years if needed. From what I understand now, they are awarding line scholarships initially (a standard ROTC scholarship) and then converting that to a nursing scholarship once you actually get accepted into your nursing program (nursing scholarships include a few extra perks). If you do end up taking the Army ROTC scholarship, they will likely make you go on active duty in the Nurse Corps as soon as you graduate with your BSN and pass the NCLEX-RN. You may be able to finagle to stay in school to get your master's immediately after your bachelor's degree by doing an additional ADSO (active duty service obligation) beyond your four years, but from what I understand, the Army Nurse Corps prefers to get nurses onto active duty so you can work as a nurse for a few years before you pursue your master's. But, there's an exception to every rule. If you have over a 3.00 undergraduate GPA, then you're pretty much guaranteed graduate school with the Army at some point if you stay in long enough---just realize that whenever they pay for school, you owe them more time. However, what is nice about earning your master's degree while on active duty is that you still get your full active duty salary and housing allowance, as well as benefits, and still earn time towards making rank and retirement, in addition to having your tuition paid for (but there is a tuition cap I believe). Unlike in ROTC, where you're not on active duty and your time does not count toward retirement, and you only get a $300-$500/month stipend. I'd try out ROTC and your first few years of active duty to see how you like the military before planning too far out into the future and signing up for extra time. Trust me, 4 years of ROTC gets a bit old toward the end, and as it is, you'll have a 4 year active duty service obligation. Hope this helps! I really wish someone would have answered my questions when I started it all---so anything I can help you out with let me know! I've learned a ridiculous amount over the past 4 years, and I'm still learning.

Awesome. Glad that worked out for you. She's been in a while so I'm sure that info is good. See you there!

I'll be there too (I know I'm a little late at posting). I'm going to WRAMC. See you guys next month!

I did Army ROTC---which was A LOT of work. I'd say that you're better off doing Direct Commission and just getting loan repayment, especially because you're prior service. If you do ROTC, it might be rather frustrating for you to have some 20 year old cadet on a power trip bossing you around. Not only that, ROTC takes a fair amount of time while you're in school. That being said, if you're not prior service, I think ROTC is a great start to the military. Because of ROTC and the summer training I did in college, I definitely have a heads up on the Army that my direct commission colleagues do not.

Hey Keegs I just finished nursing school last December (NCLEX in Jan) and commissioned into the Army Nurse Corps at the end of April after finishing my ROTC requirements. I did Army ROTC for 4 years---they paid my tuition at my private school, and gave me a monthly stipend as well as a book allowance every year. The thing I have to say about all that is---you certainly earn your officer commission if you commission through ROTC. The majority of people who do ROTC aren't going to be nurses, but you still do all the same training as them, and yes, some of it is difficult physically and mentally, but not rocket science. Being in decent physical shape helps a lot, but there are plenty of chunky people who still finish just fine. In regard to your question about Med-Surg vs. ICU nursing---The Army requires all new graduate nurses (your rank will be 2nd Lieutenant (2LT), as mine is now) to work on a med-surg floor for a year to a year and half to gain experience, then you can take a specialty course (Critical Care, OB/GYN, Psych, etc.). Once you complete the specialty course (most of them are about 3-4 months long), then the Army will have you work in that area. Or, you can choose to not specialize and just remain a 66H (Med-Surg nurse). As someone else mentioned, after about 4-5 years if you stay in, the Army (and probably Navy and AF) will want you to go earn your master's degree. They'll pay for it, and pay you your full salary while you earn it---in exchange for more time. You don't have to of course, but if you want to be competitive for promotion (which means more money and usually more responsibility), you'll need to have it at some point. I know this is pretty Army-specific, but that's really all I know, with the exception of half a dozen friends who did Navy ROTC and commissioned in the Navy Nurse Corps (they had it A LOT easier than I did). Navy is similar in a lot of ways in regard to how new RNs are treated, as I'd imagine AF is as well. The Army does expect you to be physically and mentally tough. You are an officer first, and then a nurse. The Army's Officer Basic Leader's Course is 9 weeks long (vs. 2-4 weeks for Navy and Air Force)---and even if you do ROTC you still have to attend (I'm going next month). I know Navy ROTC grads just go straight to their assigned hospital after graduating and passing the NCLEX, and don't have to do any more "officer training"--and I'd imagine the AF is the same way. (But if you do ROTC, Army AMEDD OBLC will be a breeze compared to what we had to do as ROTC Cadets. You get your own room and nights and weekends off at OBLC... not that case at LDAC). But that being said, because the Army is tougher on its people in some ways, there are a lot of opportunities for nurses and for advancement because most nurses prefer to go into the Air Force or Navy (as you can see just by reading this thread). I apologize for the winded response, but there's a lot to tell, and it's a big decision to make! Lemme know if you have any more questions. -Mike

Hey guys---recent ROTC commissionee here. I'll be attending July OBLC as well. The government (or at least the Army) books tickets through Carlson-Wagonlit. But when you got your orders, as long as you didn't request POV (Privately Owned Vehicle) travel, then your flight itinerary should have either come along with your orders, or been sent shortly thereafter. If you're driving you have to fill out a DD-1610 form----but I don't think you do if you're flying. Bummer your recruiter told you to buy your ticket yourself. What a dork... I met MAJ Hairston when I was in D.C. on Cadet training last summer---she's super busy, but hopefully she'll get back to you. See you at Fort Sam!

I went straight into the ICU as a new grad--and the hospital didn't have any training program (not a very good hospital, but jobs were scarce). I simply got 12 weeks with a preceptor and then was on my own. It took a lot of self study, and asking questions on my part. When I went for my interview before I graduated I thought I was interviewing for Telemetry, but the Director thought I would do well in the ICU. It was tough, but totally doable. I've been told it takes a year or two to become comfortable in the ICU. Just don't hesitate to ask questions and you'll be fine!

StudyinginCT--That's EXACTLY how I felt! At least you could take it a month before me. I graduated Dec 18 and the soonest I could take it was 27JAN and most of my classmates can't take it till the beginning of Feb! Congrats on passing! (since I'm sure you did)

I just took the NCLEX-RN yesterday 27JAN10. I scored very well on my school's ATI predictor test (99% probability of passing NCLEX on first try). Nevertheless, the entire time I felt like I was guessing while taking the test. I kept seeing the same type of questions with similar options over and over again, and when I got to the 75th question, I was REALLY hoping it would give me more, because I felt like I was doing so poorly. It didn't. It stopped at 75, and I felt like I wanted to throw up. I was CONVINCED I failed---I didn't see how I could possibly pass. I didn't sleep much last night, but I just checked my state board's website and I PASSED! Apparently a lot of my friends felt like they failed too when it shut off at 75 questions. Good luck to all of you who are about to take it or just took it!

Ya know, I've been wondering the same thing. I'm an AROTC MSIII and I will be going to LDAC this summer as well. I was told that I will be told my tentative duty station in May, because I graduate and commission in December. This does not make any sense to me, since I have not gone to LDAC yet and thus have nothing except ROTC to base my OML on. My experience has been that it's been pretty difficult to get ANY info in regard to stuff on the nursing side. Everything is focused on the line cadets, because there are a lot more of them. LDAC for them is much more important. Since we already have our branch, we just compete for duty stations---but I even wonder how much the OML has an impact on that. Both of the cadets that are graduating from my school this May got their first pick--Fort Louis, WA and Hawaii. One of the two actually failed one of his nursing courses and had to repeat. A cadet that graduated last August is going to Germany. Yeah so this doesn't really answer your question---but if you find out any other info let me know! I wanna go to Germany too! Haha. Good luck!

Congrats on getting Landstuhl! I'm in AROTC as well but I don't graduate till next December (doing LDAC and NSTP this next summer). I'm hoping to get Landstuhl as my first duty station, but from what I've heard it's pretty difficult to get! I'm not gonna lie and say that I'm not a little bit jealous ha ha. Someone from my college who graduated in August got Landstuhl as well--she's doing the Goldbar thing for a few months beforehand. All I've heard are positive things so far from a few people that were stationed there. Good luck! -Mike

Congrats Ma'am, that's quite an accomplishment. Maybe I'll see you around in a few years! -Mike

I'm a nursing student in San Diego and currently in Army ROTC. I attend Point Loma Nazarene University and there was no wait list as long as you've got the grades and the right prerequs done. ROTC is through San Diego State however you can participate and attend any 4 year school in the area. My ROTC scholarship covers all tuition as well as $900/yr for books and a monthly taxfree stipend ranging from $300-$500 depending on class year. ROTC is a good option, and we do have some prior service people in our unit. You might want to look into accelerated BSN programs (such as National University) if you're worried about time. There are a couple of people who attend National University working on their BSNs and are also on scholarship. I don't know much about ACEP, but I do have people in my nursing classes that are in the MCEP program which is the Navy's version... that seems like a better deal to me because you get still get your full active duty pay and your time in school counts toward retirement versus ROTC which doesn't count. Let me know if you have anymore more questions.

Being tall doesn't really help... I'm 6'3" and still have the same gagging problem. Hope I can get over it someday!