ameritow

Littlesiss, if all of your paperwork has been completed and submitted all you can do now is wait. I believe it took 2 or 3 weeks for me to hear back from my recruiter that I had been accepted. After you get your confirmation that you have been accepted, you will complete your commissioning ceremony. Then you will receive orders to your reserve unit, and you or your recruiter will need to contact them to find out when they want you to start drilling. When you get there, find someone to be your mentor. Someone who is on the path you want to be on. You only get out of the military what you put in. Don't hesitate to ask your recruiter where you stand, or what comes next. Their job is not completed when you send in your application. Stay on them. Ask questions, drive them nuts if you have to. Make sure you understand what is going on. This is too big a step to go in blind.

1. Is it feasible in this political climate (Iraq/Afghanistan/War on Terror) to serve in the Reserves and complete a BSN program in the allotted time. I understand that deployment is definetly going to happen, but would it be more worthwhile for me to complete my BSN or at least a portion of it before seeking my commission? If you commission as an ADN, and then begin your BSN, you can be put on "student status". Then you cannot be deployed while you are in school. 2. What kind of tuition assistance is available for an ADN who is working on a BSN? The Army Reserves offers a $50,000 loan repayment for your BSN. 3. In the Reserves, what are the duties I will most likely be performing. I would like very much to get out in the field and actively be a part of "battlefield medicine" but I am unable to commit to active duty (my job is very generous with military leave for reservists). I guess my question is, what kind of clinical experience will I be receiving? Much of the clinical experience is more of a shadowing type situation in Trauma/Burn and ICU type atmospheres. You don't get a lot of hands on there. A lot of what we (in my unit) do is training the enlisted personnel. Whatever your specialty is, you teach. Also CPR, and other basics. Whatever information they will need to get the patient to you safely. Some time is spent in "Army type" training, weapons, driving a tank, etc. Your best training is during the two weeks Annual Training. Then, you go out to a field, set up a working hospital made of tents and isolets (big boxes that hold an OR suite or other goodies inside), running it (including a mass casualty situation at some point), protecting it, then tearing it down and hauling it home. A lot of good training there. Both medical, and military. 4. I do have a primary career already that I am locked into for 13 more years because of pension purposes. I would be unable to work full time as a nurse in the civilian field. Would Army Reserve nursing + part time civilian nursing work be good enough for me to develop as a competent professional? You get out of it what you put into it. You can develop as a competent professional wherever you are if you always seek learning opportunities. 5. Are all of the training and schooling opportunities that the Army provides for active duty nurses available for Reserve Nurses? You would have to talk to a recruiter on this one, but I believe there are some things you must be on active duty to take advantage of. For example, I know you must be on active duty to attend the Army's CRNA course. I can only speak from my own experience as to how things are done in my unit. I hope that if anyone else has different experiences, they can correct me. Good luck!

Yes, I would, and have. I commissioned into the Army Reserve Nurse Corp (I only have an ADN) on September 11th. Reasons? I have always wanted to serve my country. When I was young, I planned to enlist after high school. However, I got pregnant & obviously, could not. I have always regretted "missing my chance". When I was nearing graduation from nursing school, I attended a career fair. There I met the Army recruiter and discovered that I had a "second chance". I think it would be the greatest possible honor to care for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect me and my family.

Kevin, I had to wait until I passed the NCLEX before they would send my packet. However, once that was done and I was licensed, my packet went before the board and I had my answer in less than two weeks. ameritow

Stephanie, Something to consider...You can join the Army Reserves with your ADN. They will then provide $50,000 loan repayment for your Bachelor Program. You will be gaining military experience while earning your degree. Then, you can move into active duty upon completion of your BSN. Good luck. Tracy RN

Hello Richard. I am a soon-to-be Army nurse, so I may not be totally unbiased but I will try. From what I have seen/heard, the Army bonuses are slightly larger than the Navy. Other than that, I haven't found too many differences. My ex-husband was in the Navy. The on-base family housing that we lived in (on two different bases, in two different states) was truly sad. The conditions were not pretty. We are not talking nightmare conditions, but not really appropriate for human habitation either. I gave birth to my son in a Navy hospital. The nurses were terrific, and the hospital had great up-to-date equipment, better than some of the hospitals I have done clinical rotations at. However, there were some more personal situations that I did not like about the Navy, those being largely the biggest reasons I myself did not choose that branch. I think, in the end, it really comes down to a personal preference.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to go USAF, I've always wanted to. However, USAF won't take ADN's. Also, what kind of bonus do they offer? And what kind of loan repayment? And where do the in service CRNA's go to school? Not trying to be argumentative, but I did research the Air Force. I have wanted to go Air Force my whole life, however, they didn't have much to offer me. I cannot speak for the Navy, I didn't even research that branch because I knew I didn't want to go there, and I am not at all familiar with USPHS. So yes, I suppose I spoke too quickly and for that I apologize.

Thank you for doing what you are doing, stay safe. Good luck in whatever choice you make. From my own research it would appear that the Army has the most to offer nurses right now. (Of course, that is coming from my recruiter, so take it as you will.) Whatever you decide, good luck.

Gennaver, I am so sorry to hear about your dilemma. You may not remember, but you answered some questions for me a few weeks ago. You were very helpful to me and I really appreciate your advice. I don't know if this will make you feel any better but you were very inspirational. I have decided to enter the Army Nurse Corps as well. I took my physical Tuesday and my recruiter says he got the message back that I am eligible for commision, now we are just waiting for my NCLEX to send in my application. Thanks again for your inspiration. I will happily send $20 if you need it.

Thank you to everyone. I truly appreciate all of your wisdom. Thanks again.

So if you do get called up in the middle of a course, the school also has to let you start back where you left off? Do you have to start that course all over again, or wait until the course gets to the point you were at when you left? I assume that you don't have to pay the tuition all over again. I hope not anyway. I am sorry, I have a million questions.

gen, "you want to serve your country and get the experience of military nursing yet, you are not interested in telling your civilian employer that you may or may not be deployed." i think you misunderstand me. i wouldn't hesitate to tell any future employer that i was a member of the army reserves and that there was a chance i may be deployed. (i was unaware that you could not be fired for a long deployment. do they really have to hold your position? what if you are gone for 12 months?) anyway, what i mean is that if i expect there is a chance i will be deployed, i would like to tell an employer that up front, not tell them (as my recruiter is telling me) that i am undeployable and will always be right here and available to work, and then, surprise, i gotta go. i want to know the truth. i will happily pack up and ship off if necessary, but i want to know that it is a possibility. right now, i am being told that it is not. mainly because i will be going to school for my bsn, i think.

Hello. I am new to this forum and looking for information. I have read many of the previous posts trying to get specific information but I guess I just really need to outright ask what I want to know. Here goes. I am a ADN student graduating in May. I have recently begun talking with a healthcare recruiter for the Army reserves (Nurse corps). He has lots of promises to make and some don't sound realistic. Anyone here that can help would be much appreciated. I am told that I can enter the service as an officer, do 27 days training in Texas to learn how to salute and wear a uniform. He did say that a small portion of that time would be spent field training, learning how to shoot a gun, etc. Then, I will come back home and work one weekend/month and two weeks/year at the nearby VA hospital (the two weeks may have to be spent at another hospital in the US) while working at another civilian job and going to school (which the Army will pay for). I am told that as a student I am non-deployable, so I will spend all my time here at home working in the VA hospital. I don't think I would really mind being deployed so much, I would however like to know in advance that it is a possibility. If I join, I want to do it with my eyes open. I don't want to get set up at a civilian employer and then have to tell them that I am taking off to Iraq, sorry. I was also told that if by some rare chance that I was deployed, it would probably only be somewhere in the states. I am very interested in serving my country and gaining the experience that a military nurse receives, but I don't want to jump in without all the facts (the true ones). Thanks in advance for your input.